JAMSquared

Tag Archives: Jessica

Patriotic Beauty

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Jessica had some portraits taken at JC Penney the Friday, July 2nd and I decided to go patriotic.

She started off the photo shoot being very serious.

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This next one is my favorite photo. To get her to smile, I blew on her belly.

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Since I ordered the CD, the photographer let me play around a little bit to add stuff to the CD even though I didn’t order any of them. I actually only ordered 1 8×10 and 4 5×7, with the 5x7s actually being free. But with the CD I can reorder wherever and whenever I want.

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4th of July Fun

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Shady Hollow, our new neighborhood, puts on a parade and other activities every year for the 4th of July. We walked to the pool, the end of the line for the parade, and made it just in time to see the classic cars. They were followed by some floats and then sections of decorated kids and adults. Next year, we’ll have to help Jessica decorate her little car to ride in the parade.

Jessica Watching the Parade

The Chick-fil-a cow, a fire hydrant costumed adult and two Manchaca Volunteer Fire Department vehicles finished up the parade.

Parade

VFW Post 3377 presented the colors and we said the Pledge of Allegiance. This was followed by a patriotic reading and a few patriotic songs. Then the parade awards were announced.

Old Glory

A number of people were handing out red, white and blue beads. Jessica picked out some red beads.

Jessica Sporting Patriotic Attire Including Beads

The local boy scout troop sold lunch items and the Kiwanis club sold snow cones. James stood in line and got us each one. Jessica seemed to enjoy sharing her Daddy’s cherry snow cone more than my berry snow cone. She really wanted to hold the cup, but we wouldn’t let her.

Sharing a Snow Cone with Daddy

Jessica was then entranced by the square dances. They did a few numbers and then got volunteers to test out their dancing skills. I was one of those volunteers. One of the lady dancers tried to get James, but when she saw me being led off by one of the male dancers, she said sadly “Oh, you have to stay with the baby.” I don’t think James was disappointed. Too bad, he didn’t think to snap a pic of me dancing.

Square Dancers

20 Months Old

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Last week, Jessica turned 20 months old. I thought about discontinuing these monthly posts, but I like having a spot to keep track of the new words she says. Although, at some point I’ll stop. Maybe when she turns two, because at 25 months, I’ll have two to keep up with.

 

My Cutie Pie, 5/17/11

What Jessica is Up To

As mentioned previously, Jessica loves diapering her stuffed animals. If she has a hold of a wipe, she will even wipe them. If she has a hold of a wipe during a diaper change, she will often wipe herself and she will wipe herself if you give her toilet paper when she sits on her little potty. Unfortunately, she has yet to actually go in the little potty. I’m not sure when I will become serious about potty training. Maybe August? I don’t know. I’d like her to be potty trained before JAM4 arrives, but she hasn’t shown much interest and I don’t want to force her.

Jessica will take stuffed animals or her baby doll to the kitchen for snack time and pretend to feed them before she puts the food in her mouth. Watching her imaginative play is so fun.

 

Diapering Her Gorilla, 5/18/11

One morning, I found her pajama shirt pulled over her head. It hasn’t happened again, but she can be very helpful in getting dressed and undressed.

 

New PJ Style, 5/26/11

Since moving, Jessica has discovered empty cabinets and loves to go inside them and close the door. I’ll say “Where’s Jessica?” and she’ll peek her head out and giggle. I have saved one kitchen cabinet especially for Jessica so she can continue her play. Obviously, this means she is not afraid of the dark.

 

Playing in a Kitchen Cupboard, 5/26/11

Jessica found the wading pool at my Mom’s house so much fun, we got one for her at our house. We’ve used it a number of times now and she loves it. I’ve even signed her up for a free trial Aqua-Tots swim lesson next week. It is a parent/child lesson with a maximum of 4 students. I’m excited about this. I had looked into lessons at the YMCA, but their time for classes hasn’t worked for us. I’m hoping Jessica enjoys the lesson and we’ll get started on lessons for her to learn to swim.

 

In the Pool, 6/8/11

 

 

Splish Splash, 6/8/11

Jessica can be such a silly girl. I love how she makes me laugh and smile.

 

Sporting Sunglasses, 6/9/11

What Jessica is Saying

Single Words: cheese, juice, up, out, mama, da, poopy, ball, wow, whoa, whee, uh-oh, hello, hi, bye, bye-bye, book, more, fish, George, birds, mouse, chips, blackberries, flower, bubbles, balloons, da-ddy, see, milk, shoes (which she uses for socks too), door, Elmo, sit, grapes, sit, cookie (for cookies and Cookie Monster), baby and I’m sure there’s a few more I’m forgetting

Phrases: oh no

Animal Noises: gobble-gobble, meow, cock-a-doodle-do, caw, moo, quack

A Week in Midland

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James and I drove up to Midland the Friday before Memorial Day. We stayed at his grandparent’s house Friday through Monday. We celebrated his Mom’s birthday (see previous post) and otherwise just enjoyed family time.

Jessica Bouncing on a Ball, 5/29/11

Jessica Testing out Great-Granny's Phone, 5/30/11

Monday afternoon, I put him on a plane back to Austin. Texas Painting painted the majority of our interior walls plus installed crown molding in our living/kitchen/breakfast room and master bathroom. Being pregnant, I didn’t really want Jessica or myself to be around the paint fumes, so we stayed in Midland at my parent’s house until Saturday morning when drove back to Austin.

It just so happened that this same week was the week my nephews Cameron and Trevor were visiting Nanny too, so Jessica got lots of play time with her cousins. Tuesday morning, we went to Opportunity Park to play. A cooler day with highs only to reach the mid-90s, it was a perfect day to go to the park. The kids thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

Jessica Riding a Frog, 5/31/11

Jessica Swinging, 5/31/11

Cameron, Trevor and Jessica Checking Out the Train, 5/31/11

Trevor and Jessica Riding a Dinosaur, 5/31/11

Jessica and Trevor in the Airplane, 5/31/11

Nanny with Jessica, Trevor and Cameron on an Elephant, 5/31/11

Trevor, Jessica, Cameron and Jennifer on a Bench Swing, 5/31/11

That afternoon, we let the kiddos play in the wading pool in my parent’s backyard. I hadn’t known that my Mom had gotten a wading pool, so I didn’t bring swim stuff for Jessica, but my sister had packed more than one swim diaper for Trevor, so she just wore that. Jessica enjoyed the wading pool immensely. I think she might have enjoyed being in the water more than Cameron and Trevor as they kept going in and out of the pool, but Jessica just stood or sat in the water pouring water from one cup to a bucket and back.

Cameron and Jessica in the Pool, 5/31/11

Trevor, Jessica and Cameron Having Fun in the Water, 5/31/11

Jessica Cheesing it Up, 5/31/11

Thursday morning, the Midland Library held the annual summer reading program’s kick-off event, so we went to check it out. While we waited for the activities to start, Cameron, Trevor and Jessica worked some puzzles.

Cameron and Trevor Working Puzzles with Nanny, 6/2/11

Jessica Intently Working a Puzzle, 6/2/11

This year’s theme is Dig Up a Good Book and the kids made toilet paper roll dinosaurs.

Jessica Coloring Her Dinosaur, 6/2/11

Nanny Helping Cameron and Trevor with Their Dinosaurs, 6/2/11

Then we went to the library patio where they served popcorn and lemonade and had an area where the kids could dig for dinosaurs. Cameron really got into digging in the sand.

Cameron and Trevor Digging for Dinosaurs, 6/2/11

Jessica Digging for Dinosaurs, 6/2/11

Trevor, Jessica and Cameron, 6/3/11


The entire time we were in Midland, I would ask for Jessica to give kisses. When I would say this around Trevor, he would give kisses too. I finally got some pictures of the affectionate nature of these two on Friday.

Kissing Cousins, 6/3/11

Hugging Cousins, 6/3/11

My parents left at lunchtime to take Cameron and Trevor home. Before they left, the kiddos played while my Mom packed.

Jessica Sporting Her Papa's Hat, 6/3/11


Superhero Cameron, 6/3/11


We then walked to the mailbox. All of them loved the sidewalk “balance beam” between my parent’s and neighbors yards.

Trevor and Jessica, 6/3/11


Hugging Cousins, 6/3/11


Friday after Jessica’s afternoon nap, we went over to her Nana’s for some playtime and dinner.

Jessica Working a Puzzle, 6/3/11


Dawson and Joe Playing with Jessica, 6/3/11

19 months old

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My baby girl turned 19 months old last week and she is getting to be such a big girl. I had hoped to finish this post before we went out of town last Thursday, but that didn’t happen.

 

Looking Stylish, 5/15/11

 

Look, Matching Shoes, 5/15/11

What Jessica is Up To

She now runs everywhere. This has led to quite a few scrapped knees, as she gets to going so fast that she trips over her own feet.

The majority of the month was spent preparing to move and unpacking from moving. So Jessica spent a lot of time climbing in boxes, “helping” pack, and then “helping” unpack.

 

In the Toy Box, 4/17/11

 

"Helping" Box Things Up, 4/18/11

 

"Unpacking" Daddy's Handkerchiefs, 5/2/11

 

"Unpacking" Crackers, 5/4/11

She has become interested in water. Here, she watered plants in the yard. I’m looking into swim classes for this summer.

 

Watering Plants, 4/21/11

Jessica is still sleeping in her crib, but we will start the transition soon, because we’re concerned she might climb out (she hasn’t yet, but it wouldn’t surprise me if she did). For now, I’ve placed some floor pillows in front of the crib just to be on the safe side.  She finds the pillows a handy spot to read.

 

Reading, 5/9/11

I think she’s going to be a great big sister. When I was unpacking the cloth diapers, so I could wash and start using them again, Jessica decided her stuffed animals needed diapers. She has become so enamored with diapers on her animals that I now keep the door to the nursery closed unless we’re changing her diaper or doing the bedtime routine. Otherwise, she opens the diaper drawer and pulls them all out.

 

Playing with Diapers, 5/5/11

Playing with Diapers, 5/5/11

Diapering Her Bears, 5/13/11

Jessica also will climb into the bathtub in the middle of the day and take her stuffed animals so she can give them a bath.

 

Giving Kitty a Bath, 5/5/11

She is quite a fan of animals. She knows a number of them by sight and by their animal sound: turkey, cat, pig, elephant, dog, rooster, bird. She loves to point to birds or fish. I like to take her to the pet store just so she can look at the critters. I look forward to more zoo visits. She loves to feed the fish in the pond in our back yard.

 

Feeding the Backyard Fish, 5/15/11

Investigating a Turtle, 5/12/11

Jessica loves the phone, but she hasn’t quite grasped the concept of talking into the phone. Sometimes I can get her to say bye-bye to Daddy on the phone. Often this includes waving bye-bye at the phone.

 

Playing with the Playhouse Phone, 5/12/11

She’s not a big fan of hats when I want her to wear one outside to shade her face and neck, but inside she loves to put on hats. She’ll put them on her stuffed animals too.

 

Sporting a Hat, 5/11/11

What Jessica is Saying

Jessica is quite the talker. Often we don’t know what she is saying. The clear words she can say: cheese, juice, up, out, mama, da, poopy (while getting her diaper changed), ball, wow, whoa, whee, uh-oh, hello, hi, bye, bye-bye (one of her favorites), book, more, fish, George, birds, mouse, chips, blackberries, flower, gobble-gobble, meow, cock-a-doodle-do, caw, bubbles, balloons and I’m sure there’s a few more I’m forgetting.

What Jessica is Eating

Jessica has for the most part recently boycotted high chairs, especially at restaurants. Until we moved she was against her high chair and even her booster seat. When we moved, the high chair was adjusted to the lowest setting and the cover/straps removed to make it easier to move. Once it was put in the new breakfast room, Jessica saw it and thought it interesting and spent some time climbing in and out of it. I had an “Aha” moment. I adjusted it up a notch to table height, put the cover but not the straps back on it, and pulled it up to the table. Now Jessica loves sitting in it again. I feel that it might have been an anti strapped-in movement instead of anti-high chairs. I’ve stopped strapping her in at restaurants and she will often sit in them now.

 

Eating Jello, 5/11/11