1st birthday photo shoot

Hey everyone!

Here are some of my favorites of Jackson's 1st birthday pics from Sears. He's so incredibly cute!

Happy 1st Birthday little man

So moving day has come and gone. We've been official South Carolinans for 2 weeks now and with each passing day, I can't believe all the craziness we've had going on! Let's start with a few days before moving:

On Mother's Day, we celebrated Justin's graduation and Jackson's 1st birthday at our house with family and friends. It was a great day...uncharacteristically cold for Oklahoma in May, but a great day. We had a little cookout, visited, and then watched Jackson eat his cake. At first, he wasn't really into it at all! He poked at it a little bit before he finally dove in. He wasn't really about the messyness, but I think he liked the cake over all. It was a cute cow cake that our friend, Ben, made.

A few days later, he really did turn 1. I took the day off work and took him to his year checkup. He was 29 1/2 inches long (25th percentile) and a little over 22 pounds (about 50th percentile). He's a healthy, happy boy that's for sure. We made it! I'm just so proud of my little man. In the last few weeks since he turned 1, he is doing the following new things:
1 - Full time milk drinker - He's drinking soy milk and he LOVES it. The first few days of soy milk he drank a whole lot! He's slowed down quite a bit since then, but the first few days were miserable b/c he was hungry all the time.
2 - Full time table food eater - There is NOTHING this boy won't eat. He loves everything and there's nothing he won't turn away. He loves strawberries and all sorts of other fruits. He even eats peas now and he didn't really like them at all before, but now he eats them all the time. He just loves food.
3 - Full time sippy cup drinker - At first, he refused to take a sippy cup with his milk. I was sure that he would never take it, but I think it was just too much change too quickly when we first tried it. He was horribly unhappy and wouldn't take it and threw a fit to end all fits when I tried to give it to him. It was so sad! But I took it slowly and waited a few days after we had settled into the apartment.
4 - Full time walker - He's been taking a few steps at a time for awhile, but never on his own until last week. Justin and I were passing Jackson forth and then all the sudden, Jackson just started walking and he's been unstoppable ever since. He just waddles everywhere and it's the cutest things b/c he does it with his arms out like he wants a hug where ever he lands. It's awesome, BUT he's just busier than ever now. It's hard to slow him down and he always wants to move now. It's much harder now to get anything done now! He still only has 2 teeth, but he can walk...go figure!

So Jackson is a busy little man and he's been keeping me on my toes since I'm the one staying home with him this summer. I'm trying to find ways to get out of the house...taking walks, excuses to go to the store, etc. etc. He's been great though and it's been a joy to have him home with me. He still isn't napping the greatest for a 1 year old, but we'll work on that! I'm hoping he'll pop his top 2 teeth soon, but I kinda gave up trying to look for them!

Since we got to South Carolina, we've been busy busy busy! We got there and spent our 1st 3 days running errands and getting our licenses. Then we jetted up to Knoxville on the way to the Cincinnati for the weekend of Diana's wedding. It was great to see Uncle Timmy and Austin. Then, the next day we drove the rest of the way to Cincinnati, where we discovered Jackson's love for dogs. Everytime he saw my friend Erica's two dogs, he just squealed with delight. It was precious. I was so proud of Jackson b/c he traveled well and even was good for Auntie Erica and Uncle Kenny while his momma and daddy went to the wedding. Justin and I had fun and Diana just looked beautiful. It was a very Diana-esque affair and I was so happy we could go. Then before we knew it, it was time to head home so that Justin could start his job. When we got home, Justin went to work and I started my stay-at-home mommyness. By the end of the week, we packed it up AGAIN and headed for Myrtle Beach for the weekend to visit Justin's parents.

We had a great time! We took him to the beach and he LOVED it. As soon as I put him down, he started walking towards the water. It was beautiful. He loved playing in the sand and even ate a little bit himself. He found a shell and the first thing he did was taste it! YUCK! He had fun though, digging and squishing the wet sand in between his toes.


We're home now and for awhile....at least until mid-June when we head up to Chicago for my cousin, Stephanie's wedding. We've got to stay put for awhile. Right now, we're waiting to hear back about my job interviews. I've had 2 now...one with an elementary school and the other one with a middle school. I'm really hoping to get one of them and I'm hoping to hear back soon. I'm really excited about both of them...maybe a little more on the elementary side of things just b/c it's what I'm used to, but I'm up for the challenge of the other end too! Well, I think I've updated ya'll long enough. Stay tuned for more South Carolina adventures!

12 days....

12 days in Oklahoma
11 days until the moving trucks come
10 work days left
10 days until Jackson turns 1
6 days until Justin's Graduation
7 days until our going away party/Jackson's 1st birthday party/Justin's graduation party

To quote Ferris Bueller: Life moves pretty fast. You don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. That's exactly how I feel about the last month. I've literally been making myself physically sick with worry about everything I have to get done for work before it's time for our Oklahoma adventure to end. It's a horrible feeling, but I feel like I can't enjoy the last few days I have here b/c I have so much to be done. Time just hit me like a ton of bricks and now I'm scrambling to finish it all on top of enjoying my son and all the neat things he's doing now.

Jackson turns 1 very shortly and I just can't believe how incredibly lucky I am to have a son like him. He's absolutely wonderful in every way. He makes me laugh all the time, even when I'm trying to discipline him b/c one look at his big blue eyes and I'm total mush. His new tricks include pointing at things, standing by himself, saying hi more, and also pushing buttons all the time. When he points at things, it just really cracks me up b/c he points with his pointer finger and also his thumb too! Just adorable. He can point out any cow that he sees in books and on the tv. He just loves cows. Speaking of tv, he is finally trying to watch some. He watches Mickey Mouse Playhouse every morning before I go to work, but only for about 10 minutes. He still doesn't like it very much, but he gets drawn into Handy Manny and Mickey Mouse Playhouse from time to time. He can also now stand by himself...even though he doesn't like that much either. He doesn't like to do it unless he's holding a toy of some kind. He just started that on Friday, but he doesn't do it consistently. We'll see how long it takes him before he wants to do it all the time. As for saying hi, that's still a little inconsistent too, but it's so cute when he does it b/c he waves with his whole arm. He only says hi to people he really knows and really likes. He's not big on saying goodbye yet by waving. Silly little guy! Last but not least, he's discovered how to turn on and off the table. What a booger! He does it all the time! We're trying to teach him no, but he doesn't like no yet. We'll see how well discipline goes. I have a feeling that he's going to be one of those kids that does things his way and he won't like to do it our way....a lot like his daddy. He does it at swim lessons b/c he doesn't like to duplicate what the instructor does and he has never replicated anything I do like sticking my tongue out at him when he was a baby. That worries me b/c I won't him to be able to follow directions and follow the rules! I don't want him to be a defiant kid :0( We'll see!

I'm so excited and nervous about the move...mostly for Jackson's sake. I'm excited to start a new adventure, but sad b/c I'll be starting over again and not knowing anyone. Will I make friends? Will I get a job? I really hope so! More importantly, will we find friends for Jackson? I'm hoping that the move goes smoothly and that we don't have very many hitches in the process. I'm also hoping that our house is done sooner than later b/c I want to be in my home and be able to get into a routine for Jackson as soon as possible. For now, I just need to focus on getting my work done and before our parents get here so I can stop to enjoy the last few days in Oklahoma. Looking forward to next weekend, I'll have my family here and Justin will be graduating. Congrats to my hubby by the way...he's just amazing! He's worked so hard for the last 4 years and he's graduating! Just wonderful :0) May is such a wonderful month for us...our 2 year anniversary on the 17th, moving on the 14th, Justin's graduation on the 8th, and Jackson's birthday on the 11th. Amazing.

Tales of a Swimmer in the Making

Hi everyone!

I thought I'd blog about Jackson's latest adventure into swimming. I'll start with his swim lesson 1 week ago and also his 1st swim lesson. Let's just say after this 1st lesson, I wasn't so sure that I'd have a swimmer on my hands. As soon as we hit the water, I immediately felt his grip around my neck tighten, so much so I wasn't sure if he was ever going to let go. Jackson totally redefined the words death grip at his 1st swim lesson. I'm not sure how his grip couldn't gotten any tighter on my neck, but it did from time to time as he panicked about little things. He also whimpered and cried just about the whole time. No matter what I did to calm him, he wasn't about to have it. Poor kid! I thought for sure he'd love swimming, but after the first lesson, I just thought that swimming was going to be like pulling his hair out for him! Of course, the class just had to have a chain reaction to my son's sheer terror. So as the boy next to him heard Jackson's whimpers, he started in and then the next kid and so on and so forth until the whole class was crying by the end of the lesson. It also didn't help that one of the stupid lifeguards decided to use the very loud and very noisy diving board to show off. Scared the crap out of the kids and my normally quiet self almost reamed him a new one, but he stopped before my patience level was all but gone. I felt horrible for the teacher b/c she just couldn't make any of them happy! She didn't seem to mind though and she kept her cool. She seemed used to it probably :0)

So as our 2nd lesson approached, I decided to give swimming another go. I was hoping that he liked it a little more the 2nd time around and that he would loosen up a little bit. LUCKILY, he did! It took him about 10 minutes, but he finally loosened up and even smiled and giggled a little bit. It was awesome! I could dunk him without him being so fearful and I also was able to get him to kick a little bit and float a little bit by himself (I had my hands under him and he let his arms let go of my neck). It was precious and I was so relieved! Phew...I hope he continues to like it b/c I really don't want him to be scared of the water. We are going to be living for a few weeks right across from a pool at our apartment complex before our house is finished, so I want to be able to take him every day. Can't wait!

So, we're in the home stretch folks. This is the last few weeks of our Oklahoman adventure. We're both excited and scared, but I think more excited than scared. We literally have just a few days less than a month. Our house is coming right along and I think it'll be ready sooner than we expected so we can move in and close sooner. We close on this house on April 30th, so just a few more weeks of home ownership of our 1st house. Kinda strange to think about, but such is life! Right now, I'm just trying to spend time with my growing boy, finish up stuff for my current job, and try not to worry to much about not getting an interview yet in South Carolina. I'm hoping to hear within the next few weeks though about interviewing down there. As for my current job, I've finished my sub plans and now I'm working on getting the rest of the little things done, so I don't leave the library in utter disarray for the next person. As for my little man, he's doing great! I think he's getting bigger and taller and I think he'll be walking soon. He can take a few steps before he goes kersplat, but not a whole lot on his own...thank goodness. It's hard enough keeping up with him while he's crawling all over the place. Right now, I think he's working on getting his 2 top teeth in b/c he's back to biting everything including me! He bit me so hard this morning that he left teeth marks! OUCH! Other than that, he's just reading up a storm and playing with all his toys and talking and dancing and singing. He still doesn't say mama yet, but hopefully soon :0) He sure is a happy little man. His 1st birthday will be next month and we're having a big party. If you didn't get an invite, let me know! It's going to be a ton of fun and I can't wait to celebrate so many exciting things happening. Stay tuned for what will come next...

Hoppy Easter!

Happy Easter all!

Jackson's 1st Easter...goodness! I think I'll start with his trip to the Easter bunny. Last Wednesday, my friend Sara and I took our kidlets to visit the Easter bunny at the mall. Her son, Rowan, is a few weeks younger than Jackson and they just absolutely love each other. Best buddies for life! Anyway, I thought Jackson would love the Easter bunny b/c he loves everyone. He smiles at almost anyone at anytime, but he wasn't so much a fan of the Easter bunny. Jackson and Rowan took their pictures together and Jackson just kept turning around to look at the Easter bunny and then he'd look at me like, "SAVE ME MOMMY!" It was precious. Rowan on the other hand, was ALL SMILES! I could've bet money that it would've been the other way around, but if I've learned anything about being a mommy it's that you need to expect the unexpected! Just one of those memories I won't forget...wish Justin could've been there, but so glad Sara and I got to share that together!

Now, as for Easter...it was a pretty good day...minus the fact that Jackson is teething AND having allergy problems AND had a cold. The poor kid had a pretty rough weekend between runny noses and wanting to walk 100% of the time and not wanting to eat...he just had a grumpus weekend. BUT on Easter Sunday, he had a good day I think. He woke up chipper and happy and so we brought his basket full of goodies. There was some candy in there, but no he didn't eat any of it, but he did really like his new book and his new bunny. He kept giving the bunny kisses on the nose...PRICELESS! He also loved taking his Easter eggs out of the basket, banging them together, and then putting them right back in the basket. Other than that, he just really had a good time playing and walking along all the furniture. Before bedtime, he took his momma and daddy for a walk. Justin and I let him walk us around the block. He's getting really good at walking and is even taking 2 or 3 steps on his own before he falls face forward. He loves holding our fingers and exploring the house. We are going to be in some serious trouble when he starts to walk on his own! Hopefully, he'll wait a few more weeks though. He wears us out right now as it is.

Gosh, the time is just zipping by and I'm just hanging on for the ride. Jackson continues to surprise me and blow me away with all the new things he's learning. He says dada consistently when he sees Justin and it just makes me so jealous b/c he refuses to say mama. Breaks my heart a little each time he says it to Justin :0( But I'm glad he loves his daddy so much! He does say UH OH now and it's awesome. You'll have to check out the video on my facebook. Just fantastical! Other than that and the walking, he's just getting to be a big boy. He's eating more and more adult food, but I don't know when he'll be completely off the baby food. I think I'm secretly a little scared to put him on adult food b/c I won't know when enough will be enough for him. I finally figured out how much is enough for him with the baby food just in time for him to switch to adult food! The feeding thing is just tough! Jackson goes for his 1st swim lesson this weekend, so I'll post pics of that next weekend or soon after that!

As for the big Gerbers, we're just getting ready for the big move. My main focus is to get a job in SC and to get ready to leave my current job. There are 4 1/2 openings in the schools district I want to work in, but only 2 for elementary school. I am warming to the idea of working in a middle school, but I'm still worried! BUT I'm really just hoping to get an interview with a school within the district. I've sent out resumes to everyone and now I'm just waiting to hear if I'll get interviewed. Part of me really wants to work so I won't be friendless in a new place, but part of me wants to stay home with Jackson. Pray for me...mostly for God to give me patience! Never been very good with that :0) Justin's main focus is to finish his senior project and also to get the house ready to be packed and sold. He's also trying to get everything as pre-prepared as he can for when we get to SC. We're both so stressed and we feel like the pressure is on. There's only about 6 weeks left here and while we're looking forward to moving, there is just so much to be done. I'm trying to not fully commit myself to full fledge worry mode though....at least not yet! Stay tuned to see how long my non-full fledged worrywartness lasts :0) Love ya'll!

Our Dream House

Here's the new house in SC that we're building...we close on June 15th and will be living in a furnished apartment for the month before we close. Hope you like it!
Front of the house:Great Room (will have hardwood floors throughout):The fireplace we'll actually have: View of the Dining Room from the great room: Justin's Kitchen (will have granite countertops instead of the concrete):Kitchen pass through: Guest bathrooms:Upstairs computer room/play room/man room: Master bathroom:Jetted tub:Laundry room (so excited about the sink and cabinets in there):Guest bedroom:Jackson's room:

Well, I hope you like it! Please come visit :0)

WORST trip EVER! With little breaks of good stuff in between

Words could not have expressed how excited I was to go to South Carolina over Spring Break. I was so excited to go house shopping, interview, and check out the area where I'm going to live for a very long time. Let's just say getting there was AWFUL! Here's what happened:
Last Friday, Justin and I arrive at the airport at around 11:30 am for our 1pm-ish flight. It's the Tulsa airport, so we don't have to arrive 2 hours early like we do in Chicago. A few minutes before our flight is about to leave we get news that our flight has been delayed. 4 hours of delays later, they finally cancel the flight citing mechanical problems and the weather in Atlanta, where our connection was. Well, instead of being normal they cancel 2 flights at the same time and tell both flights that we need to head down to the ticket counter to get figured out and that we wouldn't be able to get out of Tulsa that night. Justin went to the ticket counter and was 4th in line, 1st from our flight, and I went to wait for luggage. After an hour, Justin finally gets through the line and he is told that not only have they run out of hotels for the night, but they also tells us to be there on Saturday at 5am to check in and they'll get us on a flight out sometimes between 6-10am. WHAT!! So angry! Didn't mention yet though we had to wait another hour until we could finally get our luggage. HOW HARD IS IT TO GET THE LUGGAGE OFF THE PLANE IN LESS THAN 2 HOURS AFTER OUR FLIGHT WAS CANCELLED! So angry...so we drove the hour home b/c we had nowhere to stay the night in Tulsa and Justin didn't want to get a hotel for the night :0(
Wake up the next morning at 3:00 a.m. Drive an hour to the airport and get there at 5am. HOLY COW the line was the longest I've ever seen it before! Finally get through the line and they tell us we're on standby for the 1st flight, but we'll definitely be on the 9:30am-ish flight. Check our 4 bags of luggage and then head up to the security checkpoint...wait 30 minutes in line only to find out the moron at the ticket counter didn't put Jackson on out ticket, so then I have to run back downstairs to get my ticket fixed. HOLY FRUSTRATION! Finally get there and time to wait. Get on the flight and luckily are able to make the next flight out to Augusta. Finally get to Augusta around 3:30pm and guess what our luggage is still in Atlanta b/c the moron at Tulsa didn't put that we were flying to Augusta on the baggage tickets! So...luckily Delta let us borrow a carseat, so we could make to Aiken, SC for the night. Very angry! But it gets worse....after 2 days they still didn't get our luggage to us. By the 3rd day, we finally got all of luggage. I think the guy at the airport was seriously sick of hearing my voice 3 times a day for 3 days straight! He was nice though and ended up giving us $300 to spend on clothes, which originally was only going to be $200. The whole thing was such a debacle b/c I only had 1 pair of contacts. I basically had to beg the guy at Lenscrafters to give me a free pair of contacts on a Sunday. He almost wouldn't give me anything without a prescription, but I luckily had it in my purse...what are the odds! I think that guy though I was completely bonkers though b/c I was near tears when he told me there was nothing he could do for me without a prescription.

Other than the lost baggage and the delays in flights, it was a pretty successful trip. House hunting went as house hunting should go...STRESSFUL! It's especially hard you can't win the simple arguments with a husband who always has to be right and always has to win. I usually just give in b/c he's right most of the time anyway. After the 1st day, we saw more than 15 houses and had narrowed it down to the 3. The 1st one was the one I wanted, the 2nd one was the one we could both compromise on, and the 3rd one was the one that Justin loved above all else. After looking at all 3 again, we found we had problems with all 3 that we couldn't compromise on and so I was left devastated. I kept thinking we would never find anything b/c we had already looked at everything in our price range and in the areas we wanted to live. Justin kept saying, "why don't we look into getting a house built by the builder of that one house I really like and we'll just live in temporary housing until it's finished?" Living in temporary housing wouldn't be bad, but he was saying months and that's why I didn't even want to considering having a house built! But he looked into the builder anyway and he found out he was building a neighborhood near the hotel we were staying at and our realtor arranged for us to meet him the next day. After meeting him and finding out that he could have a house built by early June, we were sold! We also really liked him and he's a Miami University alum, so I think he gave us the Redhawk discount :0) So after that we drove about an hour to this house we really liked and saw the model that he had already built. Justin of course loved it...I liked it, but it's not my dream house. It's definitely a great house don't get me wrong, but not what I had imagined for us. I guess it's hard when you've lived in a great house for 4 years to try to find something just as great. My biggest complaint is that it doesn't have much of a yard and I really wanted a yard for Jackson :0( There's a little park area down the street, but that's not the same. I just keep telling myself that we don't have to live there forever and it's a beautiful house! Gosh, I sound like such a baby...a whiner...a complainer, but I swear I'm extremely grateful for this house b/c we weren't sure if we were even going to be able to get one. So...with that said, I'll show you the goods...in my next post :0)

Enjoying my last day of Spring Break and trying to mentally prepare to go back...not sure if I'm ready!