11 Months

As of yesterday, this little guy is 11 months old. I can't believe he'll turn 1 so soon! I'm not sure what his height and weight are, but here's what he's been up to:

• Following me around everywhere, which I love most of the time,
• Eat nothing but baby food, formula, and Cheerios, (I try to give him other things, but he usually refuses)
• Saying "baby" over and over (I'm pretty sure he doesn't know what it means, but Brett claims he said his first sentence last night when he said, "hey, baby."),
• Pulling himself to a stand on all the furniture and walking around the furniture, 
• Not teething, (The kid has ZERO teeth. I'm starting to wonder if he's going to need baby dentures.), and 
• Smiling, laughing, dancing, and loving Brett's guitar as always.

Dear neglected blog,

I know it's been forever since I've posted. Please excuse my absence. My life has been a little crazy recently and my computer permanently died. I had plenty to post about, but unfortunately since the death of my computer, all my pictures are disbursed between memory cards and external hard drives. Luckily, I didn't lose anything, it's just a matter of finding everything.

I will be back soon.

XOXO,

Katie

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers, and especially my own mother.

I am so grateful for my mom and the little boy who made me a mom. 

10 Months {plus 11 days}

I've been meaning to write this post for 11 days now, but I guess late is better than never (even if Jackson is almost closer to 11 months now).

I've been pretty really sick for the past few days. I mean like unable to get out of bed or open my eyes. It's probably definitely the worst I have ever felt. But, I think I'll skip all the rest of the details. Thanks to wonderful friends who took care of Jackson while Brett was taking care of me, and thanks to my amazing husband for taking such good care of me. I have the best friends and husband ever. Thankfully, I am on the mend, I think.

Anyway, on to more fun topics. Jackson is now 10 months and 11 days! He is so much fun! I've missed him these past few days that I haven't gotten to spend with him. I am so glad to be back on the floor reading to him and playing with him. He now weighs 19.7 lbs and is 30 inches long. So, here's what he's been up to:

• Crawling everywhere,
• Getting into everything,
• Learning to pull himself to a standing position,
• Loving to play Brett's guitar,
• Dancing whenever music comes on, 
• Still making lots of loud noises all the time, (I think that he thinks he's singing), 
• Pulling my hair as I write this, and 
• Being the cutest and happiest baby ever.

I love him.

Baby Shower and Easter Fun

Here's some fun stuff I made for a friend's baby shower last week.

We had a wonderful Easter at my parents' house with lots of family. 

The Easter bunny even dropped off a basket for Jackson.

The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance

Sheesh, it's been over a week since I posted anything. And I had been on such a roll. I spent the last week with my parents and brother's family on vacation and didn't get around to doing any posting.

While on vacation, I got the chance to read this book. I actually did read it, not listen to it. :) I have mixed feelings about it. One one hand, it was so captivating that I stayed up till 2:00 AM reading it, it was well written, it was interesting, it was honest, and it was hysterical. It had me laughing out loud multiple times.

 On the other hand, it did absolutely no good for the LDS Church and it was extremely crass. Some people say that any press is good press, but that's not the case here. Elna Baker, a single Mormon in New York City, is burdened by the Church and its standards. She seems put out that she knows God exists because with that knowledge, her conscious doesn't allow her to go out and do whatever she wants, although she does at times anyway. She never mentions the good that comes from knowing God exists and following His commandments. She is also a little too honest. I would be horrified if I were her parents reading this book, which is probably why she apologized to them in the foreword of the book.

On another note, I told Brett about my new resolve to work out (i.e. to actually use the treadmill be bought me). He didn't believe that I would, so I have to prove him wrong of course. I better get to it while Jackson is sleeping.

Anne with an "e"

I finished Anne of Green Gables a few days ago and LOVED it. I knew I would. I have loved the TV movie since I was young, but I had never read any of the books before. Hearing all the stories again made me nostalgic for my own childhood and certain childhood friends, who are "kindred spirits" to me. I love Anne's  determination, imagination, idealism, dramatization of everything, and loyalty. I love that she finds excitement and beauty in everything. She is such a fun character. 

I just downloaded a bunch of new books from the library to listen to. I can't wait to get to them all! Here's what's on the list:

• Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery
• The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy (I actually read it years ago. I think it might be my favorite book ever.)
• Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella (I've read most of her Shopaholic series, which are pretty fun reads.)
• Harvesting the Heart by Jodi Picoult 
• Knit Two by Kate Jacobs (I recently listened to the prequel, The Friday Night Knitting Club, which I liked. It actually kinda made me want to start a crochet club. It could be fun, right??)
• Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

So may hours of entertainment ahead. I can't wait.