Don't Forget

The way he loves to have something in his mouth when he's crawling around the house.  A wooden spoon.  His tylenol container.  Lotion.  Various toys.  May not be the safest thing...but it's so cute.

How he crawls away from me when it's time to get out of the tubby.  We have shower doors, so he crawls to the far end and looks back at me and smiles.  Little stinker.

His naughty little habit of pulling Zoe's hair out.  We have such a good dog.

The binky game we play, when he puts it in my mouth, then grabs it back and puts it in his own mouth.

The way he laughs.  It's just too cute.

The way he claps his hands.

How he loves to turn off light switches.  I'll turn lights on, just so he can turn them off.

How he buries his head in Clifford.  He loves him.

How he sits up at naptime, then just lays his head down on his legs and falls asleep. Flexible little thing!

The mad dash when he see the fridge door open.  He wants to play in there sooo badly.

That long tuft of hair.  That will be gone today.

How he loves to crawl into our room and play with Daddy's dresser.  Even when it's pitch black in there.  Even when Daddy is snoring away in the bed.

The face he makes when he tries a new food.  (Mandarin oranges, especially.)



Friday Phone Dump

looking for a burger

we're number one!

silly sleeper

i love clifford!

love this <3

love this too :)

Ten Months!

Once again, another month has come and gone, and I'm blown away by how fast it really does go!

Eating
Some new foods JJ has tried: couscous, chicken, broccoli, pasta, bread & jelly, quesadillas, grilled cheese, tomato soup...he likes lots of stuff!  He still likes baby food a lot, and when he was sick last week he mainly wanted only that.  He still loves his bottle, and he's doing well with water in a sippy cup. He also loves Gerber snacks...puffs, sticks (especially the cinnamon maple!) and wagon wheels.

Sleeping
Still great.  He's developed this cough he only does when he's sleeping.  I'm thinking either allergies or asthma.  His pediatrician thinks (from his last appointment) that he might have allergies.  So I put a humidifier in his room, and it seems to be helping!  Hopefully we can make it to his next appointment, and figure out what to do next!  He still sleeps great though, taking his 2 naps a day, and sleeping all night.  Last night he even feel asleep during his before bed bottle...he hasn't fallen asleep on me in a looong time.  I enjoyed it.  :)  He moves all over in his bed now, and if he does happen to sit up, sometimes he just leans forward and falls back to sleep that way.  Silly head!

Playing
This kid is all over the place.  And I love it!  Sometimes he listens well to us, other times not at all.  He loves to play in the laundry room, the bathroom and his bedroom.  He pulls himself up, mostly to his knees, sometimes to his feet.  He loves his toys, but it seems his favorite toy is Zoe.  He enjoys pulling her fur out.  Luckily, Zoe is a good, easy-going dog!  JJ loves his blanket and his Clifford.  His favorite toys are still those things that don't belong to him!  (Tupperware, remotes, phones, cords, computers.)

Developing
JJ will hold a phone up to the side of his head like he's talking into it.  When did he learn this?!  He has 6 teeth!  He pulls up, and will take some very unsteady steps if we're holding his hands.  I've been trying to teach him 'more' and 'all done' in sign language forever.  I think he's clapping for more and waving bye bye with both hands for all done.  Oh well, at least he's starting to get it!  He has been a little cranky/clingy the past couple days, but I think it may have to do with teeth. 

Stats
No doctor appointment until 1 year.  JJ did have a few days of fever last week.  No other symptoms, really, he ate and drank fine.  Just a fever of up to 103.  With Tylenol, you wouldn't even know anything was wrong.  We're so blessed with our special little boy.

outtakes:

 

Friday Phone Dump

Mommy's making dinner, Daddy's in the shower, JJ is in his room playing and reading books

grilled cheese is a winner!  (and yes the shirt and bib are both NY sports teams...)

Wordless Wednesday ~ Wake Up Edition

Couponing 101 ~ Getting Started

I'm going to start off with a minor disclaimer.  I am not a pro, and I have only been doing this couponing hobby for a couple months.  But it's fun for me, kind of relaxing at times, and I love the money-saving rush.  So here's a little info on how to get started, if you're looking to start!

The first thing you need, obviously, is some coupons.  This week there was only one insert in the paper, but I bought 2 papers (plus my mother-in-law gave me her coupons!)

Don't forget the store fliers!  I usually pull out Price Chopper, ShopRite and CVS.  You can find coupons in them as well, and you can usually stack a store coupon with a manufacturers coupon!  Not to mention these beauties that Price Chopper offered this week:

Now, I cut pretty much every coupon.  Here's why.  You never know what kind of a deal you might get.  Especially at CVS.  With their Extra Bucks rewards, sometimes you can get back the same amount that you spend.  And if it's not a product you'll use, give it away!  (I love that part of couponing.)  :)

What exactly do I do with all those coupons?  I'm glad you asked.  Enter: my binder.  Don't be ashamed, it's the way to go.  I pull this baby out in the grocery store all the time.  Some people might look at me strange, it's true, but I like to think they're just jealous.

Baseball card holders work great for holding coupons.  If I have duplicates I put them all in the same slot...and try to put the earliest expiring coupon in the front.  Notice my mistake with the Johnsonville Chicken Sausage?  There are 2 of the same coupon in different sections.  Whoops.

When I first started I didn't have all the sections...but they're really necessary.  The more coupons you get, the harder it is to find what you need.  I can find any coupon I need really fast this way.

Check out this awesome coupon.  We love 50 cents off, because it doubles to $1!

And even better...75 cents off that doubles to $1.50!

The way to really save money with coupons is to combine them with sales.  After I cut out all my coupons (and breeze through my binder to remind myself of what other coupons I have) I pull out the store fliers and go through them very carefully.  Sometimes I even check prices online for a BOGO offer, among other things.

I write my list very thoroughly.  I write what the item is, what the price of the item is, what my coupon is, how many coupons I have, how many of the item I need to buy, and what my final price will be.  My next blog will be my list for this week, so you'll see exactly what I mean.

Before I go to the store I pull out all the coupons I plan on using and put them in an envelope.  I also bring my binder along just in case I find other good deals while I'm shopping.  (I find something every time!)  As I shop, I cross things off my list when I get them.  If I don't buy them for some reason (can't find them, store is out, I've spent too much) I circle the item so that when I'm at the checkout I can easily see which coupons I need to take out of my envelope before I hand them over to the cashier.

That's couponing, in a nutshell.  At least the way I do it!  Again, I'll be back in a little bit with my match-ups for the week.  I'd love any suggestions, comments, ways to do it better...as I said, I'm a novice!  But it's a fun hobby that saves money.  I don't think I'll ever go back to shopping the way I used to!!

Friday Phone Dump

I'm slacking.  Two pictures in one week?  *hangs head in shame*

does this make me old?

JJ needs a friend for the cart at BJ's!

..just thankful..

So the other night I was sitting with JJ on the couch, feeding him his nighttime bottle.  He had his (absolute favorite) blue blanket in his hands and his chubby little fingers were holding it so tight.  He had it pulled up over his eyes and he was rubbing it against his face while his fingers held their grip.  His eyes were drooping and every once in a while I thought for sure he was out...then he would take another gulp and his eyes would flutter open for a few seconds more.

I sat there looking at his sweet little face, those pudgy little hands and his adorable feet, crossed at the ankles.  And the tears just came.  I honestly enjoy every moment with my little man.  And as I took in the moment, I was reminded of the days, weeks, months, years that I longed for this.  There were definitely days when I thought it would never happen.  And yet here I am. 

Tonight after his bottle we rocked and read Daddy Hugs 123, our (my?) favorite book for when Daddy isn't home at bedtime.  Then I sang "Jesus Loves Me" while he chewed on the book.  Again I was overtaken by the blessing that he is to me.  God knew exactly what I needed.  And while I still don't pretend to understand the circumstances, I am so, so, so grateful for our baby boy.  He is our heaven on earth.

Friday Phone Dump

nothing cuter!

present from Santa

potatoes

sunrise

sleeping

don't ask

in Mommy's trunk

cheeks!

coloring

Livy & Mommy

love the Thomas pj's!

big boy.  always smiling.

falling asleep on the floor

last drive :(

scissors

sitting up in bed.  crying.

my Christmas present :)

we're in for it!

I should not be at work on this date...

made by me!

sunrise

Thanksgiving shopping with the 'big kids'

walk on a nice winter day

monkey bread!