Goodbye 2009 and Happy New Year!

WOW oh wow! What a difference a year makes. 2009 was such a gift, especially the month of May. Not only did Justin and I celebrate our 1 year wedding anniversary, but we also celebrated the birth of our baby man, Jackson. It's truly amazing all the great things that Jackson has brought to our lives. He is but 7 1/2 months old now, but time has really flown by! I would give anything to be able to slow things down with him, but well that's just not possible! Oh well, the last 7 1/2 months of 2009 were the greatest probably of my life and I'm so excited for what 2010 will bring us :0)

I don't believe in resolutions...I'm a list-making kinda girl, so here is Jackson's list of things to do in 2010:
- crawl -- still trying, but we're not making any sort of head way here!
- walk -- he's actually walking now by holding our fingers as he takes off...it's pretty amazing to see and he just started doing this in the last 2 weeks. Awesome!
- eat some new and different foods -- time to start feeding the baby man more than just baby food...time to start exploring bigger people food! Bring on the pizza...Just kidding! Not for a few more months :0)
- start saying some more words -- Jackson says Dada pretty regularly now, but I'm hoping to increase his vocabulary in the year 2010
- Start recognizing the people he's talking to and the words that he's saying with the objects he's looking at -- ya know, calling mom MAMA instead of dadadada or cat a cat
- Grow some teeth -- I think we've got some on the verge, but I really can't tell!
- Grow some more hair -- Hopefully enough to endure his 1st haircut and to cover up the last remnants of the hole of hair on the back of his head
- Meet some more ladies -- Jackson told me to write this one...he LOVES the ladies
- Make some more friends
- Learn how to dance independently -- He knows how to do the booty pop, but I'd like to see him learn some new dances
- Do some more laughing and giggling -- There is nothing better in the world than to hear my little man's laugh. He truly is a really happy baby and we're so blessed to hear his laugh quite frequently

Ok now it's my turn...List of things for me to do in 2010:
1 - Watch exciting things happening to my friends -- My cousin is getting hitched and most of my friends are on baby #2. Very happy for you all :0)
2 - Find out where we're moving to and then move and acclimate to the new place -- This is mostly on my hubby, who will be graduating in May. We'll be leaving Oklahoma and moving on. While the thought of leaving Oklahoma is kinda exciting, I'm a little anxious about leaving the OK behind and having to start over again. I definitely do NOT want to move every few years. I'm also anxious b/c we could end up even further away from home than we had hoped in a place like New Mexico. Oh well...I'm going to put it in God's hands and pray that wherever he sends us will be exactly where we're supposed to be for the time being.
3 - Get a new job -- I will be heartbroken when I have to leave Mark Twain, but b/c we're moving, I'll need a new job...either in the classroom or the library, but I think preferably in the library. Can't afford to stay home with the baby man and I'm not sure my sanity could handle it. Being a stay-at-home mom is a good thing for some people, but I'm not sure anymore if it's a good thing for me. If it happens though, I will feel blessed.
4 - Sell the house and buy a new one -- With today's market, it's a little scary to sell a house, but I have a feeling we won't have a problem. Buying a new house will also be a challenge, especially if we move to New Mexico...it's so expensive out that way. If we go to somewhere like Tennessee or South Carolina, it'll be a little easier to find something.
5 - Get back into the pool and start swimming again -- Time to lose that last 10-15 pounds I gained carrying the bean. I'm going to teach the baby man too.
6 - Meet some new friends -- New place to live means new opportunities to meet some friends
7 - Find some time to be with my hubby -- Having a baby, especially in a place where you don't have many friends to watch the little guy, hasn't been easy on a newly married couple. We've been out together maybe 2 times in the last 7 1/2 months and eventhough we're moving again to a place where we probably won't have any family around again, I want to find a way to for us "reconnect." I'd love to be able to spend some time with my hubby.
8 - Continue to feel more comfortable in my own skin -- I've come a long way in the decade that just ended and I want to continue that journey. I'm not the same person I was a decade ago and I'm grateful for that. This next decade I really want to continue to become stronger and more comfortable in my relationships personally and also professionally.

So there it is...Hope ya'll had a wonderful holiday season! I sure did :0) Happy New Year all. Enjoy your 2010!

Jackson's 1st Christmas Pics

Christmas Eve with Great Grandma and Grandpa Kirk:

1st Visit with Santa:

Pictures from Christmas in Stillwater:

Christmas Day in Illinois with my parents:

Happy Holidays from Chicago

Hi everyone!

Long time no blog...

I can't believe it's been a month since I got on here and talked about our little man! So much has happened this past month, I just have so much to talk about. December has brought us many blessings...mostly in the form of Christmas and family time. For the last few months, I've been pretty anxious about things....work, Justin finding a job, etc. etc. But the last 2 weeks, I've been able to relax and enjoy Christmas. I was afraid for awhile I would never get in the Christmas spirit, mostly b/c Justin was kind of a Scrooge the first 2 weeks of December, but when finals were over so was his bad attitude! It's been a much better end to the month though...here's why:

We opened presents on December 16th. I was home sick that day as I had been in the ER just the day before with severe dehydration from food poisoning. Jackson was just absolutely fantastic at opening presents....it was as if he'd opened hundreds of presents before! All I had to do was open a little tear for him and he handled the rest. I have to admit he was more impressed with the boxes of things and the wrapping paper on them, but once we made those things disappear, he was excited to get some new toys. We kinda took it easy on presents this year b/c we'll be moving in 6-ish months and we didn't want any more things to have to pack and we know Grandpa and Grandma Kirk would get him a lot too! He got some chewable blocks, a set of sound making balls, a baseball kit, a dog that makes noise and sings the ABCs, and a set of stacking cups. He really enjoyed the baseball kit and the stacking cups b/c he likes to make noise by hitting stuff with other stuff. He also loved the Christmas tree. In fact, we spend about a half an hour every night before we left for Chicago reading a few books in front of it. I'm seriously considering leaving up a little tree in his room all year b/c he gets so excited to see the lights. Too much fun!

School ended quickly and we left on the 18th to head home to Chicago...packed with tons of toys and clothes. The plane ride was actually pretty smooth...minus a few hours of delay and the lovely amount of doodle Jackson decided to start and finish on the plane before we could lift off. I'm not sure why he decides to have an exploding diapers now when we travel...let's just say it's not fun to change a poopy diaper in a small, enclosed space with NO changing table. I had to get creative and I was not a happy camper, but we made it through! Got to Chicago and found snow...yay! The next day Jackson got to flirt with some new people at my grandparents' 50th anniversary party. He was just an absolute angel! So sweet and so loving to everyone...I was so proud. On Sunday, we did an annual trip over to my aunt Jana's house to bake Christmas cookies. Now that I'm old enough ;0) I was able to be the designated froster. We had fun and I was glad to get to hang out with my cousins. Monday was the day we had our annual OHS Christmas party. I was so looking forward to hanging out with my friends and my husband with our son, but Justin couldn't go b/c our downstairs toliet exploded all over his suitcase and he had no clothes :0( Jackson of course wasn't the angel boy he usually is either. It just wasn't as much fun as it had been the in the past b/c I couldn't really talk to my friends, but I was glad to see my peeps!
The next day Justin and I headed to downtown Chicago to indulge him in his Christmas present. We ate at one of his favorite restaurants, Monk's Pub, rented a hotel room, and went to the Chicago Blackhawks game. It was a lot of fun! It was the first night we've ever spent away from Jackson and I only called 2 times :0) We had fun being young and enjoying each other's company. The game could've gone better, but our seats were awesome (thanks Dad for finding the tix!). It was a great night and we hope to be able to get out a lot more together as Jackson gets older. On Wednesday, my friend Tai from high school come over and took some family pictures. It was great catching up and I can't wait to see the pictures.
Now for the Christmas festivites...On Christmas Eve, we usually go over to my Grandma and Grandpa Kirk's but they weren't feeling good enough to cook this year, so they came over to our house. We ate Christmas dinner and then opened presents. Jackson was spoiled once again and I thought my Grandma did a great job at getting us gifts this year. Jackson really loves this orange turtle she got him. It was a really nice night with our family! The next morning, Jackson slept in until almost 9am, which was so nice! My parents went all out this year. We were shocked by their generosity. Jackson of course made out like a bandit! He ended up with a wagon full of loot and I've been loving everyday as he plays with his new toys. We are definitely going to have to send a package back to the house though b/c we don't have enough room in our suitcases! Jackson had the best day and wore the best, biggest smile the whole day. He really enjoyed hanging out with Mamaw and Papaw Kirk and the rest of the family at my aunt Jana's house. This Christmas was awesome!

So far, this trip home has been a great one. I've really enjoyed spending time with my family and my parents. We got snow and it's been beautiful, but not a blizzard like down in Oklahoma...I feel so bad for how bad ya'll got it down there! We didn't get to make to Cincinnati like we'd planned, but that's okay. The weather just wasn't going to let us cooperate! Now, with just a few days left of our trip, I'm going to spend as much time with my family as I can. I don't think I'll be ready to leave when it's time and I know for sure I won't be ready to go back to work! Thinking the last few days will be full of more shopping with my mom, catching some dinner with my daddy, a movie with my hubby, a few more visits with friends, and possibly a visit to the Shedd Aquarium. Happy Holidays everyone!

PS - We still haven't heard anything on the job front. It's getting to be quite frustrating, but we're still hopeful to know something in January. We'll let you know as soon as we know. Please continue to pray for us :0) Thank you!

Turkey Day and Family Time

Gobble Gobble everyone! Hope everyone had an absolutely wonderful Thanksgiving....I sure did! We've been very busy with the grandparents visiting Jackson and I haven't had time to blog. Last weekend, Grandma and Grandpa Kirk came for a visit. They were here for just the weekend and it just flew by. We tried to take Jackson to see Santa at mall near OKC, but the Santa was just absolutely terrible. I've never met or seen a Santa that was so totally not into making a kid smile or talk. He just mumbled at Jackson. Didn't try to hold him or make him smile. It was so disappointing. I'm hoping that a Santa will come visit Stillwater, so we don't have to drive as far this time. Hopefully, his 2nd meeting will go better than his 1st! Other than that, we just enjoyed the time we had with my parents. They got to watch the little man as I went to work on Friday and then we just played and laughed the rest of the weekend. Justin had a 2nd job interview in Amarillo, Texas so he wasn't there Thursday and didn't get home until late on Friday, but we had a great time.

My parents left on Sunday and then Justin's parents came on Monday. Shoo one out and welcome another in :0) The Gerbers got to watch the little man for me on Tuesday when I went to work. He's been wonderful all week and just a bundle of smiles since they got here. We had a very quiet and low-key Thanksgiving....barely any leftovers with a small turkey! We got to play board games and they also watched Jackson while Justin and I got to go on a date for the 1st time since late July...it was so nice to get out of the house without a diaper bag and a plethora of other baby items, but we missed the little guy! On Friday, we got to visit Jackson's Auntie April and Uncle Ben at their restaurant in Guthrie. Granny Had One is just DELICIOUS! Check it out Oklahomans! Saturday was a little scary because Jackson had a slight fever. He wasn't really fussy or anything...just really warm. I think he was just having an overly bad teething day b/c he wanted to chew and eat just about everything that day! We took him to Urgent Care though b/c I'm paranoid and overly worried momma. The doctor said he had the start of a viral infection and that we should give him some Motrin. Well, he woke up this morning and was fever free and was all day. Didn't have to give him Motrin at all, so whatever has started has hopefully just been nipped in the bud! He's been so sweet and quiet today, just studying everything and laughing up a storm. We put up the Christmas tree today and he enjoyed eating some of the ornaments (the soft fluffy kind..no worries) as he watched me. He loved looking at the lights, so it was awesome! He just played on the floor for about an hour as I hung the ornaments...he's such a sweetie! Other than that, we've had a pretty easy going Thanksgiving break. Speaking of Thanksgiving, here's just a few things I'm thankful for this year:

1 - Probably more than anything, I'm thankful for my healthy, happy baby boy! Jackson is just as sweet as could be and happier than any baby I've ever met. I've been so blessed to have him in my life and I'm so glad that eventhough he wasn't planned, he's been the absolute best gift this year has given me.

2 - I'm very thankful for my Justin, too! He's a wonderful husband and the very best father a man could be. We've been through a lot since Jackson was born, but we're working hard to become a stronger better parents/married couple.

3 - Our amazing family is something else I'm grateful for. Both sides have been so supportive of our journey together as a couple from start til now. They've also been so great to talk to and get advice from over the last year and I'm so glad they've been there for us through it all!

4 - A great job has been a blessing for me as well.

5 - Last, but certainly not least...a great support system of the coolest, awesomest friends a girl could every ask for. I'm so incredibly lucky to have people to rely on for support and who will make me laugh when I need it. I'm glad to have people who can offer a different perspective on things when I need it! Thankful for all of you out there who've loved me through all my crazy pregnancy hormones and through my first year as a momma!

So....other than that, just bracing myself for a very busy December. Can't believe Christmas is less than a month a way...so much shopping to do still! We're also hoping to have Justin come home in the next few weeks with a couple of job offers to hash out! He's had about 6 interviews and 3 2nd interviews, so we're hoping to know where we're going after he graduates here in the next few weeks. Pray for us...we've got big decisions to make!

Here's a few pics to show our little man @ 6 months:

6 Months Old and a Nasty Cold

Yesterday, Jackson turned 6 months old. Instead of celebrating his birth, I was at the doctor's office. Yep, Jackson has his 1st official ear infection and 1st official "nasty cold" according to the pediatrician. Instead of the happy, smiley, giggly little man I know and love, he was replaced with a tired, irritable, and whiney little guy :0( It was horrible seeing my son so miserable and scary too! All I wanted to do for the last 2 days was cry b/c I couldn't just fix it. I've felt like a horrible mom b/c I wondered what I did or didn't do that made him so sick. Should I have stayed home more last week instead of making excuses to get out of the house? Should I have fed him more or less? Should I have held him more or less? Should I have picked him up more or less? But when I wanted to cry, I reminded myself I needed to be strong b/c the more upset I was, the worse off he would be :0( So I tried to keep his fever down as best I could before I could get him to the doctor. I was hoping he wasn't sick, but last Friday he developed a runny nose and a cough. I chalked it up to allergies b/c he has them pretty bad, but Monday he came home with a pretty high fever and I just knew that something was wrong. So yesterday on his 6 month old birthday, we went to the doctor's office and I was just worried sick it was the swine flu. Luckily, it wasn't...just an ear infection and a nasty cold. He was so lethargic and whiney yesterday....didn't want to play or eat or do anything...he slept most of the day and I was terrified that he wouldn't sleep at all last night, but he did. He slept like a rock in fact and he slept until 8:30am and he could've slept longer if I hadn't woken him up! Thank God for small prayers :0) So today he's feeling a lot better. He's still coughing and has a little bit of a runny nose, but he's been hopping and playing and as smiley as he ever was. His fever has also broken, so I think we'll be going back to school tomorrow! I'm so glad it wasn't worse...

Now, I just need to get me well and all will be back to normal again! Jackson coughing in my face for almost a week has gotten me all sick and yucky :0( Oh well...can't last long! I'll post some new pictures of the cuteness soon...gotta take our 6 month pics!

Happy Halloween

Jackson is snug as a bug in his bed, but he wanted me to tell everyone Happy Halloween. He said it wasn't his favorite Halloween b/c we didn't get to really trick-or-treat, but that he liked getting to dress up and hopes that next year will be better! Here's our little tiger:



So...our 1st Halloween was kinda lame this year. First of all, Stillwater moved trick-or-treating to a Thursday night and I of course had to work late that night, so by the time we got home that night, it was bedtime. We did make our way over to Megan and George's, but that was it. I had really hoped we'd be able to make the rounds in the neighborhood, but there weren't many lights on anyway. Hopefully, next year will be much better! This past Tuesday I had taken him to downtown Stillwater in his costume for their Halloween thingy, but it was a little crazy down there. Too many people and rude kids running around and bumping into poor Jackson. He almost got knocked over by some kid who looked at me after he did it like I ran into him. I almost told him to go find his parents b/c I wanted to talk to them. Kids are so RUDE these days...no manners...no common courtesy. Gosh, I hope I teach Jackson a huge amount of manners b/c I can't stand rude children! It just amazes me how incosiderate children are these days! Ok...getting off my soapbox :0)

We did do something really cool last weekend. Justin and I took the bean to the Oklahoma City Zoo. It was a gorgeous day and I wanted to go walk around. Not the best zoo I've been to, but not the worst either! It was pretty funny to watch our little man look more at the people that were around him than the animals in front of him. He did like the bats and the orangutans. One orangutan came right up and sat in front of us on the glass. Then he turned around and put his hands out on the glass and Jackson put his hands on the glass next to the orangutans hands. It was awesome! I had fun b/c I love going to the zoo :0) Here are some pics of Jackson's first zoo trip:


I'll end this round of blogging with a quick blurb about my little man and his new foods. Jackson did so well with rice cereal we decided to try some other solid foods, so last weekend we tried rice cereal with applesauce and he did really well with that. His face though was priceless the first time he tried it though. It looked a little something like this:

Then, on Wednesday he tried some sweet potatoes and he just scoops up whatever he can get of those. He really likes them A LOT! He actually gets excited when he sees the baby food jar. I'll post pictures of this adventure on the next blog.

October was pretty awesome, but I think November will be better. We'll get 2 sets of visitors: Justin's parents and mine. It'll be good to have family around us for awhile! We're also hoping to learn a little more about where we might be going after our Oklahoma adventure is over. Justin has had 6 interviews so far and he has a 2nd interview scheduled next week. There for jobs all over the place. Please pray for us...especially for him! I just really want more than anything for him to find a job that he'll really like in a place that we can stand being in. The sooner we know where we're going...the better! Thanks for the love and support everyone. We'll keep you posted...

October Fun

Hi everyone! Long time no blog...

So the Gerbers have had a VERY busy October so far. The month started off for me extremely busy with work. We had book fair for the first 2 weeks of school and I was actually pretty surprised at how well we did. If we would've had 3 more days like we normally would, we would've blown our last year's fall book fair profits out of the water! I'm kinda proud of myself and all the hard work that went in to the whole shabang.

After book fair was over, it was time to head out to Cincinnati with Jackson to go to Erica and Kenny's wedding. First of all, let me say CONGRATS Knasels! Secondly, that had to have been one of the top 3 most fun weddings ever (sorry...mine is #1). I was so incredibly happy to see my friends and get to spend time with my parents, too! It's getting so hard to be away from them and not get to visit them when I want. Going back to Cincinnati made me miss living near my friends and family (not that we haven't made friends here too), but my family can't just hop in a car for the weekend and get to spend it with us. Anyway, it was an absolutely awesome weekend...totally didn't want to leave! I'm so happy for my Erica and it's so evident by watching her and her husband together that they belong together! It was just so fun and absolutely beautiful! Here's a few pictures from that event:




By the way, Jackson was just absolutely wonderful on the airplane....MINUS THE EXPLODING DIAPER ON THE WAY HOME. Talk about panic...less than 5 minutes after leaving the Dallas airport and getting into the air, KABOOM! Jackson lets the diaper to end all diaper explosions out! Luckily, they had a changing table in the bathroom on the plane or it would've been a miserable flight. After that, he was as happy and pleasant as could be. Gone are the days of the quiet flight :0)

October is so much fun! We also got to go in early October to the local pumpkin patch. I'm absolutely positive that Jackson's favorite color is orange b/c everytime he sees that color, he just gets absolutely grinny and wobbly. I wish I could capture his expression on our camera b/c it's absolutely adorable. He loved the pumpkin patch and all the big pumpkins. He was excited to touch them and sit by them. It was adorable! I'm glad Justin decided we could go as a family...definitely starting a family tradition. Here's some pics from that:



I just can't wait for Halloween! I won't tell you what Jackson is going to be...you'll just have to wait for the pictures :0) I can only tell you that his costume looks absolutely fantastically adorable on my little man!

As for development, he's 5 months old now! Growing like a weed. He can sit up on his own, roll over both ways, and is just working so hard to crawl it's not even funny! He gets his arms moving and his legs moving, but he can't figure out how to get his tummy off the ground! I think it'll be within the next month though... Jackson is also eating like a young piglet. He eats cereal about 2 times a day and we're going to start him on some veggie food here this weekend. I can't believe we're already to that point...it makes me just want to cry thinking about how far we've and he's come! Did I mention he's teething? OMG...how funny it is! Some days are better than others, but most days are really not that bad. He's kinda funny b/c he'll like talk to whatever he's trying to chew on...again gotta catch it on camera! I think I can actually feel the tooth coming in. He's just so independent now...it's amazing. It all goes by way too fast! Here's what he looks like now: