Smiley kids and life to date

Amelie will be 6 months old on the 14th. At the Dr this week she weighed 15lb 8oz and is almost 23 inches long. She has grown in length over the past few months and it has thinned her out. She is scooting around like crazy. It feels like it will be only days before she is crawling around. I am NOT ready for that! When she laughs it would absolutely melt your heart and soul to mush. She is SUCH a happy girl. No room to wait around either, she sees her brother and wants to be on the go to catch him.

Everyone always comments on her hair. She has SO much beautiful hair. Every morning I have to comb it out with conditioner since it is so fine and get tangled very quickly. I won't cut it again so we have to pin it back to keep it out of her eyes.

These are some of my favorite photos of Amelie from the past 4 months starting at the top at 2 months up until Christmas. Lots of faces…loads of personality!

 Before I get to Jack, I have to update you on other "3rd child" the Mini. She has given us a run for our money (oh no, just taken all of our money). :) After a 6 month overhaul we are almost done and need a few more parts in place before (fingers and toes crossed and lots of prayers) she'll be running. Most can't believe we are doing it ourselves. We have spent MANY late nights in the garage working on it together. What a project.

As you can see the engine is back in, woohoo.

This is a regular morning scene. Jack is learning to eat at his "big boy" table. (Can't believe I am saying that so soon, he is not even 2). And Amelie is eating lots of homemade solid foods in the high chair.

Two new things that Jack loves to do is check his mailbox and drink "Caa key" (coffee). By checking his mailbox I mean put the letters into the top and then open up the mailbox to make sure they actually went inside. But when he opens it it plays these sweet little songs and he will hum along and bob up and down. Jack also likes to drink his own version of coffee which is hot chocolate with marshmallows. So fun to have him ask for his caa key every morning and drink it with delight.

In all reality the past few weeks has been really tough. We had a week off between Christmas and New Years and ended up working on the mini a ton. Going back to work has been a big challenge for obvious reasons. However, now I am in a new role responsible for staffing a brand new digital department and it is the most challenged and most exciting thing I have done to date in staffing. If it weren't so game changing I would probably not be as motivated to work as I have been. After just 3 weeks part time, I was working full time. So I decided to go back officially full time with the hope that in January I would start back part time again. So far…no such luck.

Thankfully Evelyn, our nanny is amazing! She is at the house during the week and brings tons of fun things to teach and explore with Jack. I think of her as his teacher because I can tell when she comes over in the morning he knows he will not get "tt" TV but instead will get to sing songs, play with tons of games and do art projects. I am so blessed to have her!!

As for 2011 and what's in store. I trust God has a great plan for us and I am leaving the destination to Him while trying to just Enjoy the Ride!

My Life in Mom Motion

Back to work?
On Monday I go back to work part time. I can't even explain what mixed feelings I have about it. I hired a nanny who is amazing. Retired, use to run a day-care, nurturing and a teacher. I am so blessed to have found her because it will make it so much easier. I love staying home with my kids but it also feels like a good time to revisit the gifts I can bring to the professional world again. I've been out for 5 months (the max they will let me take off). Many days with Jack I feel like we get to a point were we are at odds with each other because I am with him 24/7. I am the one to discipline him, teach him new things, entertain him, fight past the wining and get him to say words and dare I say it, we can get tired of each other. Don't get me wrong, Jack and Amelie are AMAZING kids but since I have the option to work part time I'm going to try it. Some days, I get so tired and feel very unmotivated inside. I am normally a motivated person so this feels very OFF for me. The other day I left for the day so the nanny could run through the kids routine. When I came home Jack was ecstatic to see me and we still got to do all the great things we do everyday (snuggle, read, bath time...) So for now, I am trying the working mom thing out again.

We've been celebrating the Fall. Feels like it has come and gone so fast (just like everything these days). These fall leaf were there just a few days ago and now with the rain it is like the leaves are almost gone. We had such fun raking them up and filling the barrel.

Jackson was a big helper and managed to get lots of handfuls of leaves into the barrel before deciding he needed to get in the barrel.

Fun and productive all at the same time. This is a good day.

We sometimes have bath time in the morning to warm up after a long walk in the rain. Jack has gotten a hair cut since the bath Mohawk but for awhile there we could spike it up good. 

Jack's favorite place is in the kitchen. No wonder since Mike spends a good deal of his time cooking. Jack has been cooking with mom though. Baking bread or cookies is a great rainy day medicine.

More than anything, Jack loves to PLAY! With anything but Foosball came very naturally for him and he actually made some goals too.

This is the BEST toddler toy of all time (THANKS MOM). This slide sits in our living room right now because Jack does not get tired of playing with it. For weeks he loved just sliding down but now he's learned to put any toy with wheels down it too for added fun.

Just took some 4 month pictures of Amelie. 




This season of Life in Mom Motion has been a complete joy and I am confident that although our routine will change a bit starting Monday we will still have lots of fun to report.

Summer Photo Update

We needed a first family photo with Amelie. Turned out ok for using the timer. (Smile)
I really want to get some professional pictures taken in the fall when Amelie is a little bigger.
Let me know if you know anyone really good with kids.


This summer is flying by. Between having family in town, lots of friends stopping by, hosting a pop in shower for Amelie, having a garage sale and taking the engine out of our mini cooper - life has been busy. Thankfully the next few weekends will be spent having some good family fun, outside the house ("thank you!" says mom)

These are some shots from Amelie's Baby and Bubbly party, taken when she was 2 1/2 weeks old.

Amelie at 3 weeks old in the darling little "sea bound" outfit that my colleague Tanya gave us. Amelie makes the funniest surprised faces like in the top right hand corner and I can't tell why. She just opens her eyes really wide and purses her lips like she is surprised.

 Thankfully we have still made lots of time to enjoy our precious little bundle of joy. Amelie is such a easy baby (so far). She is awake a little more each day and just like Jack has a personal fussy time in the evening but it is so cute. She is just expressing herself and learning how to fall asleep. Newborns are so precious but I can tell that stage will be over very soon. Ahhh..stay a little baby!!!

Jack is almost 18 months. Can't believe how big he is getting. I know everyone says that but since Amelie joined us he seriously has gone through a growth spirt. He is saying lots of little words like caaar (car), ca ca (cracker), duice (juice), mavi (movie) and daaggy (doggy). He also responds for many things like when you say let's go outside, he runs and gets his shoes. When he hears the motorcycle or the garage door he opens the door to the garage. I keep saying to Mike, our kid is wicked smart...but it is just cool to seeing him learning so many new things.

Jack is a blankie boy. He does the cutest like thing when he is tired. He goes upstairs and tries to get his blankie out of his crib and when he can't get it all the way out he kneels down holding it to suck his thumb (since he doesn't suck his thumb WITHOUT his blankie in hand) Sweet stuff...had to get a photo.

When we catch him he looks up and laughs.

Fun at the duck park.

Jack loves to play and can't wait to have a playmate at his house. He often peeks into Amelie's crib when she is making noise and talks back to her as if to say "yeah, I hear you, come and play with me". We are going to the duck park and this play park when we can. And Jack loves to watch the other kids and discover how to climb and slide. Today he said "up" and "down" when he was going up the stairs and down the slide. So cool.

Well...Enjoy the rest of the summer!

Amelie Jennifer Jacobs

Our little Amelie's entrance into the world was quiet the ride. Amelie is French a name meaning beloved. She was born on the appropriate and celebratory Bastille Day (French Independence Day) July 14th at 2:45pm (which was her due date). Weight 6lb 7.5oz and 19 inches long.

We took a few shots of Amelie in our beautiful room which was decorated with lots of Poppies at Andalus Waterbirth Center before we left today. After 18 long hours of crazy labor starting at 8pm the day before we were happy to get some R&R and now be at home. I look forward to sharing my birth story soon now that I can join the "long hard labor - didn't think I was going to make it" club. But for now I am going to enjoy the first moments with our little daughter who is certainly "beloved".

35 WEEK UPDATE

My ever growing bump! At 35 weeks I already feel like I am on the fast track count down. We went in for a ultrasound today to check on baby girls growth. All checked out OK. She measured to be around 4lb 10oz which at this point is perfect size for a "little" peanut. Average babies at this point can be between 5-7 lb so she is a little small but I guess I just brew small babies. Jack was 6lb 10oz at 38 weeks when he was born.

As for the pregnancy, this one has definitely been a bit different from the last. Although I enjoy the wonder which is growing inside me I can't help but we weighted down by...well...the weight. My lower back has needed daily babying all its own and my tumming is already feeling the strain, by which I mean skin pulls (ouch). I had a melt down yesterday when I discovered my first stretch mark. Baby girlie is a big kicker, constantly moving around in there. We found out today that she is head down and that the daily "strong" movement I feel is most likely her hands which she keeps closely tucked to her face.

I am getting my labor bag packed as we are preparing to head to Andaluz Water Birth Center which is the most wonderful peaceful place for having babies.

I honestly can't wait...which sounds weird.

This decal is my newest addition to her room. I am continuing my black and red bird theme and this little family of birds welcoming in the newest addition from flight was the perfect addition. When Jack goes into the room he always points at the walls and says "bir". I've decided to keep my queen bed in babies room for now so I can nurse and sleep close when needed. \

Jackson continues to amaze me with his love for small spaces. He truly seems happier when in small places. I was commenting today that his playroom is small, his play area in our backyard is small and he just feels more at home when in small areas. This one takes the cake though. He climbed into this basket on his own.

Third Trimester | Baby Decorating

On Monday when I officially entered the third (and final) trimester – I became overwhelmed! This pregnancy has gone SO fast. I think it is normal to feel this way…especially being so close to the first. I went in for my 26 week check up and the midwifes at Analuz said that everything was progressing wonderfully and normally. I couldn’t help but feel emotional over the thought of how blessed I am to have never experienced complications. It’s as though being pregnant is the most normal thing for my body. People ask, have you decided on a name or what will you do work wise after the baby comes. I respond in a non committal, laid back tone “We don’t know yet”. And to be honest, we aren’t really talking about it as though in the moment it will just figure itself out. And by the way, that is not my typical style. So, I think my typical style might be changing.

I have decided on a theme for “baby girl’s” room. Everyone knows I love red. So the theme will be black and red and “bird cages”. I don’t gravitate to really babyish colors or things so my kids rooms will have a little twist to them. I found these decals on Etsy and loved them once I put them up.

We moved Jack into our guest room where he will have more space to play and roam. I’ve chosen some new colors for his room and created some crafty new additions to his décor. Starting with this paper mache letters that I painted and hung.

Next, I took some inspiration from a story book illustration and created paper leaves for the “tree” to add more color to his room.
Jack loves all the colors!

It's a GIRL!

We had our ultrasound and found out that Jack will be the big brother to a sister. Hurrah! Can't believe it. We are all so excited to be anticipating this little girls arrival.