Big Lots is Big Laughs

Today I was in Big Lots searching for junk under $5 just because I felt like buying something. I came away with napkins, forks and paper plates for the baby shower I'm throwing on Saturday. Not exactly what I was going for but at least I got the satisfaction of pulling out my wallet without feeling guilty. Anyway, I love Big Lots. They have everything including Jenna's favorite crackers for only $1.50 a box. And, usually, there are just normal looking people browsing the aisles but there have been a couple of occassions, like today, where the entertainment value far exceeds anything I can buy. I was walking down the toy aisle (because buying stuff for Jenna is just as fun as buying stuff for myself) and I heard one woman say to another, "Excuse me? Can I ask you a favor? Would you hold her while I get that basket down?" Not able to see these two, I thought, "Is that lady seriously going to let a total stranger hold her baby while she gets a basket?" No, she wouldn't. But she'd let a stranger hold her dog. When I peeked around the corner to check it all out, I saw a lady, maybe a few years older than me, holding a small dog that was wearing a pink argyle sweater. C'mon Paris, you're in Big Lots. No need to look hoity. I ended up behind this lady in line and noticed that she also had a Coach purse and matching wallet which, alone, is totally fine. But in addition to the dog.....sheesh. But, although she can afford a Coach purse, a Coach wallet and a high maintenance dog, I've got to give her credit that she can still appreciate a good bargain on baskets!

Cirque du Soleil and other circus acts

For Christmas, Jake's parents bought us all tickets to see Cirque du Soleil and the show was Saturday night. I don't have any pictures because we weren't allowed to take any (I snuck the one of me and Jake during intermission!) But it was the most amazing thing I've ever seen. My sister Amy, had she been there, would have definitely classified that as one of the best days of her life. They had the classic tight-rope walkers, contortionists and trapeze artists but they also had some crazy stunts that literally made me scream! It was so entertaining and they had great music and dancing, too. We had such a great time!

And, come to find out, we have our own little circus right here at home! Jenna is becoming Little Miss Personality and I'm beginning to think whining is her favorite form of communication. She sounds like a European police siren! This morning, while eating breakfast, she was grunting as if trying to poop, so I took the breakfast bar (that she hadn't taken a bite from in 5 minutes) away so I could check her pants. She did NOT like that. At least that time I knew why she was upset. Other times, I just stare at her and think "Huh?" But usually, she's fine in about 30 seconds. Crazy girl. I think she actually might be working on some one-year molars. She's got a runny nose that has come and gone over the last couple of weeks but it's been pretty constant for the past two days. Tomorrow is her one-year check-up and I'm anxious to see how much she weighs.

Will somebody please wipe my nose? And DO MY HAIR??!

Got Milk?

I have not made a single ounce of formula today. I have not washed a single bottle. Because Jenna had regular milk today in a sippy cup! She has had formula in a cup with a straw before but that cup definitely wasn't spill-proof so this is a very liberating feeling. I love that I can pour her a cup, without measuring water and counting scoops, hand it to her while she's in her high chair, and not worry about mopping it up when she's done. And, if she doesn't drink all of it, I don't have to toss the remaining milk after an hour, like the can of formula says to do. Her reaction to it was great. I thought she'd scrunch up her nose like she does to green beans, but she didn't even blink an eye. It was like she'd been drinking it her whole life. I am starting to feel so much better about the whole eating and drinking thing. Instead of making sure she has a bottle every four hours like I had previously been doing, I just offer her milk at breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks (which is usually when she wakes up from her naps) or whenever I think she might be thirsty. She is also doing great at trying new things to eat like cereal bars and quesadillas. She also said two new things this week: Yum (which sounds like "Ummmm") and Roar (which is more like a whispered "rar"). I am really starting to think of her as a kid now instead of a baby.

Amy's Visit

This is the fourth attempt I've made to write this post. Each time, Internet Explorer has experienced a problem and shut down. (Wish I could do that! "Jake, I'm experiencing a problem, I'm going to shut down." and head to my room for a nap.) Anyway, as a result, this fourth time around will probably not have as many details as the first. But we had a great weekend with my sister, Amy. We got to go to San Francisco where we walked 6.7 miles around China Town, Coit Tower and other parts of the city. We celebrated Jenna's first birthday and Amy made a really yummy homemade carrot cake in the shape of a butterfly. I decorated it with pink frosting and m&ms and it turned out pretty cute, although obviously my first attempt at cake decorating. It was fun just hanging out eating frozen yogurt from the Yogurt Mill while searching for blogs of people we grew up with and taking pictures of Jenna (two of the pictures in the slide show are Amy's). We missed Melissa but are thrilled that Porter didn't culture for Pseudomonas and so his last TOBI treatment is tomorrow night. YEAH!!!! (Check out the links to the right to learn more about Porter and Cytsic Fibrosis). And we know there will be other opportunities for Melissa to come visit us. Who knows, maybe by this summer she won't have to fly out here for a visit because we'll be there permanently!!

Driving Miss Jenna

Jenna rode in her new carseat for the first time yesterday! She was a little confused at first but once we started driving, she loved it! And we're happy that she loves it because we took forever to pick out a carseat. We spent days reading reviews online, then bought this seat on a whim. After reading some more reviews, some people loved it and some hated this particular carseat. So, we actually returned it to Target once before but after spending an hour trying to decide on another, we came home with the same one! We are crazy. But we love the carseat. It is so much easier to get Jenna in and out of the car! It reclines and does all that jazz. We hope it will serve us well for the next couple of years!

This is not my regular news station!!

Oh yeah!

Shake it, baby, shake it!

Well, it wasn't a 5,000 calorie Porter smoothie (darn it!) but Jenna had her first smoothie yesterday and loved it. I gave it to her in a special cup with a straw (I didn't even know she could use a straw!) I'm glad she liked it so much because it had all the things she won't eat when I serve them to her alone like bananas and yogurt. Tonight at dinner, I turned around to find bits of her pasta and hamburger stacked on top of her smoothie cup. The weather this week has been so beautiful (65-70 degrees!) and Jenna and I have been taking advantage. When we were playing outside yesterday, I found this one pretty rose all by itself on this bush. We also have some other pretty flowers in the yard so I took a few more pictures. I love our new camera, just wish I knew more about photography!

I realize this is my second post today but I think you'll all agree it's necessary because Jenna took SEVEN steps today BY HERSELF! We were outside playing and she was walking up and down the sidewalk with her walker and next thing I know she's walking towards me! Luckily, I had been taking pictures so I grabbed the camera, set it to video and caught about five of her steps. It was so awesome! You'll have to excuse my high-pitched voice but I was SO excited! You'll also have to excuse that the video is sideways; I wanted to make sure I got her whole body.

Foodinator: The Jenna Barnes Chronicles

To quote Jake, "I love food." But lately, when it comes to feeding Jenna, food is stressing me out. I still give her baby food because at her nine-month check-up the doctor encouraged it because Jenna had a significant drop on the weight chart. She has loved her fruit/yogurt/cereal mix for breakfast and her sweet potatoes and chicken with apples, etc. .... until about 4 days ago. She rejects everything, even her bottle. I have about three bowls sitting in my fridge full of different concoctions that she has turned down. I do give her bits of regular food, too - bread, cheese, pears - but most of the time she takes each piece, one by one, and lines it up in the crack of her high chair or throws it over the side. As a result, I am constantly worrying about how much food she's eating. If she cries during the day, my immediate thought is, "She's hungry!" In desperation, I called my sister yesterday. She barely got a "Hello?" out before I said, "I'm frustrated!" She had some great ideas, as usual, and suggested that maybe Jenna is getting another tooth or perhaps she doesn't want baby food anymore. I never thought of that. Melissa said to give her the spoon and see she what she does with it because maybe she just wants to feed herself. So, that's what I did. And here's what she did:It was one BIG mess but she loved it. And since then, she has wanted a spoon at every meal. Melissa also suggested keeping a food log for a week because if even though she may barely eat anything one day, maybe she chowed down the next. And, lo and behold, for snack, she ate a whole can of peaches! Thanks, Missy.
P.S. We do not watch the Sarah Conner Chronicles, that title was in honor of Glenn!

That hurt, Charlie!

I found this video on a blog and it is hysterical.

Life's a Picnic

Today was a beautiful day! Jenna and I went for a walk and had lunch in the front yard with Kelly, our neighbor.

Jenna also had an orange for the first time today. I think she liked it. So much, in fact, that she squeezed it really hard and rubbed it all over her head. And giving her a graham cracker afterwards probably wasn't the smartest thing to do. Below is the result:

A few other random pictures..... here is our new computer! The other night, I let Jenna crawl around naked so she could air out her bum (she had a bit of a diaper rash).

And Missy, because you can't come, these last two are for you. I don't know why the video didn't upload (maybe it was too big) but here are a couple pictures of our place.

Ho Hum

I do not have any pictures today because it has been a boring day. Jenna was very grumpy today but did, however, sleep for a good portion of the afternoon. So, she wasn't even awake for me to take any pictures. The only other thing we did today was go to Target, and you all know what Target looks like. This evening though, we were invited to the Pease home for FHE. They have two really cute kids and a nice cat that Jenna did NOT enjoy. I didn't realize that Jenna has never seen a cat in real life. When the cat came out, Jenna started screaming! I felt bad! But, it was a little bit funny! We had a good time learning about the stripling warriors and making shields and swords. So, another day done. Where's my bowl of ice cream?