Ready for Halloween weekend!

We have had a busy week getting back into the swing of things since our trip. Jack is doing really well and having a blast playing outside, but since the weather is getting a little cooler, he does quite understand why he has to put on his shoes and coat before going outside. We had our regular playgroup this Wednesday and he has become more willing to go and is actually excited once we get there to play with all the cool toys. Still not taking much interest in the other children, but is slowly becoming aware of their existence, especially when they are playing with a toy he finds interesting.

We have a fun afternoon planned today. We are going to a make and playgroup were we are going to be making maracas out of house hold objects such as toilet paper rolls and plastic bottles. It will be fun to see how he responds to decorating and shaking his new toy. When we are done with that activity, we are going to “Scare on the Square” in downtown McKinney to do some pre-trick or treating :-) Our friends Lindsey and Lila will be joining us for that. Looking forward to a fun filled afternoon with friends!

It's a ....

GIRL!!!!!

We had our ultra sound this morning and were able to learn that come March we can expect, that in the future, Justin’s hair will start turning gray because we are having a little girl. We are very excited and could not wait to tell our parents the exciting news. Jack still doesn’t really understand that his world will be changing in a few short months, but I have faith that he will adjust well once the baby arrives. I have been on the phone most of the afternoon spreading the news.

On a different note, we have been keeping busy with all of Jack’s appointments and playgroups. He has been making improvements daily. He has started making the moo sound when he sees the picture of a cow and we are working on him making other animal sounds. He has been very good at copying words and sounds when Justin and I say them. He really enjoys saying “ooh ooh, ahh ahh” and “daddy do” which is really cute.

We are getting excited for Halloween weekend. McKinney has a cute downtown area and on Friday, they are closing off the street and letting kids go trick or treating around the square. We are planning to go with our friends Lindsey and her beautiful daughter Lila before our hubby’s get home from work. Then of course, we will be trick or treating on Sunday. Jack is going to be Super Why from the PBS show. That is one of his favorite shows right now. He will of course have to share his candy with his mama, but he will get to eat some of his candy...although he doesn’t really like candy (he must get that from his father).

I’m sure we will have some cute pictures of Jack in his costume next week. I hope everyone has a fun and safe Halloween!

Back from New York City!

Back from New York and after two days of being back home and I finally feel like I have recovered from the experience. We had a great time in the city and did a lot in the four days we were there. We got in Saturday night around six, had a nice Italian dinner, and walked around near our hotel, which was close to Rockefeller Center and Times Square.

Sunday was the busiest day of all (I think it’s because our legs were fresh that day). We took a cab to Brooklyn and started a walk that took us over the Brooklyn Bridges, past the 911 site, past the NY Stock Exchange and Wall Street, and down to Battery Park. We took the Staten Island Ferry and got to see the Statue of Liberty. We then went up and walked around China Town and into Little Italy. Later that evening we saw our first Broadway show called Rock of Ages and it was amazing. The only complaint I had was that the person sitting next to me and behind me thought they were in the show and were belting it out through almost the entire show. Luckily, I only heard them during the more mellow songs :-)

Monday, we went to the American Museum of Natural History and walked around Central Park. We then went shopping at Macy’s on 34th Street, walked around Herald Square and saw Madison Square Garden. We went out for a casual dinner and then went up in the Empire State Building around 9:30 at night. It was fun getting to see the city at night from atop the Empire State Building it was amazing!

Tuesday, we went to the Guggenheim Museum and the MET. We saw lots of great art and the buildings themselves were incredible. We then took a walk and headed up to the Upper West Side to check out Tom’s Restaurant AKA “Monks” on Seinfeld. It was really cool and the food was good too. We took the subway back to our hotel for a short rest before going out to see the Lion King (it was one of the coolest shows I’ve ever seen).

Wednesday was our last day in New York and before leaving for the airport, we walked down to see the New York City Library to say hi to the Lions. We then ate lunch at Bobby Flay’s Bar Americana Restaurant. We then walked up and had a frozen hot chocolate at Serendipity :-) We then went back to our hotel to collect our bags and take a car back to the Airport.
I really enjoyed my first trip to New York and Justin was excited to be able to enjoy the city instead of just having to work. New York City is defiantly a place I would enjoy visiting again. There is so much to see and do. We did a good job of see as much as we could but I know we only scratched the surface of this influential city.

Jack had a great time with his grandparent and I know they had fun spending time with him too. They had to leave Thursday morning to get back to STL, but we will be seeing them and my family when we meet in Springfield for Thanksgiving.

Hard to believe that Halloween is in one week, we still need to go and buy Jack a Halloween costume. I’m sure we will find him something cute so he can go out and get some candy (which he will have to share with his mama of course :-)

Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Getting ready to leave...

We are getting ready for our trip tomorrow. We will be leaving for New York City for the next few days while Jack spends some quality time with his grandma and grandpa Gindler. They flew in yesterday and I have been taking them around town showing them the nearest parks and shopping. I know they will have a blast taking care of Jack while we are gone, but I will miss my little man.

I am excited to visit NYC with Justin and am sure I will have a lot to write about when we get back and have tons of pictures.

Busy week

It has been a busy week so far and it is only Tuesday. Jack and I have had a fairly normal Monday, but today has already been full of activity. I started my day with my monthly Dr. Appointment (all is normal) and then came home to have Jack’s Occupational Therapy session. She has been coming once a month to check on his progress and to lend suggestions about things we can do with him on a daily basis. She said today that she is very impressed with his progress and that she felt we no longer needed her monthly consultations. We will still be working with Jack’s other two therapists weekly and if any questions should arise we can talk with her any time.

We got back not too long ago from going to the McKinney Community Center’s open gym that they have twice a month. We have had scheduling issues in the past so today was the first time we were able to go and check it out. It was really great! They have two jumpy houses set up and lots of toys and scooters all over the gymnasium for the kids to play with. Jack was not interested at first, but when he saw a little boy zoom by on a scooter, he got interested, and took off to check things out. We were able to stay for about an hour before he got tired and wanted to go home. We were able to invite our neighbor and her three-year-old son, whose name is also Jack, to meet us there and play. He was so tired that he fell asleep on the way home. Falling asleep in the car has become his new napping location. If I want him to nap I have to take him for a ride, otherwise I am usually out of luck.

Another new development for little man is that he decided, all on his own, that he no longer wanted to have his binky. It has been a little over two weeks now and things have been going working out well without it. He started one day pushing Justin’s hand away when he was trying to give it to him. I tried to give it to him on another occasion and he took it from me, looked me right in the eye with this very stern and serious look on his face, and then with great force threw it on the ground. He hasn’t had it since. I must say I am very happy about him breaking his own bad habits with such ease...maybe I will get this lucky when it comes to potty training. A mom can dream can’t she ;-)

We are looking forward to seeing Jack's grandma Jeanette and grandpa Glenn who will be flying in on Thursday to come and Jack-sit for us while we are out of town. So, plans for tomorrow are CLEAN!

Pumpkin Patch

We had a big Saturday this weekend. We took Jack to a pumpkin patch. He had a fun time; we fed the animals and went on a hayride. We even had a small lunch while we were there. The weather was great, especially in the shade. I was able to take quite a few pictures before my camera died. Jack had such an action packed morning that he fell asleep on the drive home.

When he woke up from his very short 30-minute nap, we went out and had an afternoon full of shopping. We are getting ready for our trip to New York, which we will be leaving for in less than a week. I was able to find many nice things that will work well in New York and I even found a cute dress that I can wear to go out, and to a wedding that we will be attending when we get back. It will be a little bit cooler in NYC than it is here, so I am happy that I have some new things to wear (including a new jacket). It is hard when the belly starts to grow and your clothes no longer fit.

Justin and Jack went to the grocery store this morning and we are looking forward to a nice relaxing day of football. I am planning to make a roast tonight for dinner and just relaxing from the very busy day we had yesterday.

PS: who knew vampire diaries was such a huge show (I don’t watch it). They were filming at the mall yesterday in Frisco and the line to meet the cast was crazy... teenagers ;-)

Playgroup Day!

I would like to start my post today by remembering my grandmother “Ma”. It has been three years since she had to leave us, and not a day goes by that I don’t think about her. She was lucky enough to know that Jack would be joining our family before she passed, and I know that she would have love to learn that we are now expecting out second. I am getting excited about finding out what we are having. We should be able to announce that information by Thanksgiving :-)

Today, Jack and I hosted our first playgroup at our house. It was lots fun. The house was full of moms and their little ones. I think the final head count was 8 moms and 11 children. Thanks to another mom’s great idea, we had the theme “Shape Caper” which included a read aloud and a cute craft project where the kids made pictures using shape stickers. All the pictures turned out really cute, and Jack had fun putting the stickers on the paper. He especially enjoyed cleaning up and putting the unused stickers back in the container. I made cookies and rice crispy treats, and we had a fun little snack time after the craft project. I think the kids had a good time playing and Jack warmed up to the idea when we started the craft project and of course, when he got his snack...the boy loves to eat :-)

I am happy that the week is ending; it felt like it would last forever. We have no plans for tomorrow but will probably swing by the library because I have a few movies I need to return and Jack likes to play and look at the books. If the weather is nice, we are hoping to take Jack to visit a pumpkin patch. In one week, Justin’s parents will be here and Justin and I will be taking off for our little get away to New York City :-) (so excited about that trip). I should probably start planning what we will be doing when we get there, luckily my sister lent me here NYC travel guide so I have the resource I need I just need to find the time to read it...we’ll see if that happens.

Isn't only Tuesday?

Happy that today is turning out to be the exact opposite of yesterday. Sunday night Jack decided that he didn’t want to sleep and was up half the night. He went to sleep just fine, but at 11:00 he was up, then down, then up again until 3:00 AM :-( It was a very long night and it was made even longer, when he decided to wake up at six in the morning. Luckily, for me he took an hour and a half nap later that morning so we both got a little rest. I was also very excited when Justin walked through the door almost three hours earlier than he usually does on a Monday to give me a chance to relax and chill from this crazy and unpredictable day. Since Jack’s day was full of mood swings and just general tired behavior, he slept well last night.

He is in a much better mood today and I am enjoying his happy go lucky attitude. After we have lunch, I think we may try to go to the park to play.

I very happy that Jack has had his developmental and speech therapy appointments for the week so the only thing we have to prepare for is the playgroup we are hosting on Thursday. Jack has been making excellent progress since he started therapy back in February. He is mimicking more and is starting to imitate more sounds that he hears, which occasionally sound like actual words. He is in a regular playgroup that meets at the YMCA every two weeks, and I have found a moms group online that has playgroups every Thursday that we have started to try and attended when we can. I am very excited because this will be our first time hosting the playgroup at our house. I will be excited to let everyone know how it goes.

Weekend with the Family and the Texas State Fair!

We had a fun weekend while my parents were in town. They arrived around lunchtime on Friday so that made for a nice long weekend. We took Jack out to lunch when they got here and then to the park. Jack was able to play on the playground equipment and we took out a paddleboat (a first for Jack) around the lake. Beside the fact that he didn’t really like wearing the lifejacket, he had a great time. All that afternoon activity tired the poor little guy out, and he fell asleep on our drive back home.

Saturday was a crazy but eventful day as well. We decided, despite all the warning we received from numerous people, to brave the crowds and go the Texas State Fair. I know that we were lost in a sea of people wearing orange and maroon clothing, but there were only two or three times were I had flashbacks to my trip to Beijing (during their National Holiday) of how busy a crowd can be. We got to the Fair early so we were able to miss some of the coming crowd, and left right as the game was starting so we didn’t have any trouble leaving. This was Jack’s first fair and my first State fair. Texas state fair is famous for the creating a new fried food each year. The new fried food this year was Fried Beer...Justin said that it sounded disgusting and didn’t really care to try it. I however have wanted to try a fried Twinkie since I hear that it existed, and I must say it was everything I thought it would be and more. I have a feeling it will be something I will be eating again next year :-)

We spend the rest of the weekend recovering from the Fair and my folks have taken headed back home. I am now looking forward to a quiet afternoon with Justin and Jack watching football. Make sure to check out the pictures I uploaded of our weekend :-)