Happy 6 Months and 6 Years!!!

Today is a special day in our house. Jacob turns 6 months old AND Rascal's 6-year birthday is today. Time goes by so fast.

It is hard to believe that Jacob is already 6 months old. I was holding him while he was sleeping the other night and told Dan that I wished I could freeze him at this stage. It is so much work at times, but he is so worth it. Here are some highlights of what he is doing these days....

*Stats: Weight-18 lbs 4 oz (67th percentile) Height-27" (72nd percentile)

*Sitting up

*Playing with toys and lunging forward to pick them up

*Smiling, squealing, and a few giggles

*Rolling

*Standing well with some support

*Eating baby food (we have conquered cereal and vegetables and are starting fruits tomorrow)

*Still just one tooth, but is a drooling machine so more teeth have to be on the way

*Is very aware of his environment and takes everything in

*Becoming more accustomed to being outside

*Is Rascal's biggest fan (although Rascal is afraid of him)

Onto Rascal....It seems like yesterday when we brought home our five-pound puppy. We knew that we were in trouble when about two blocks away from the humane society in southern illinois where we picked him up and Rascal pooped something fierce in his new car carrier. We stopped at a Walmart to get him supplies that he needed to get through his first night and to clean the mess he had just made. After grabbing a bite to eat we headed on the three-hour trip back home. I'm not kidding you, about twenty minutes later Rascal pooped AGAIN! This time we were in the middle of the country so we scooped it up with an empty fries container and threw it out the window. This is the only time we have littered, but I feel it was justifed! It has been a rocky road with Rascal the last few years with his various health issues, but he has blessed our lives in so many ways.

I don't have time to post pictures now, but check back soon!!!

Bittersweet Mother's Day

Over the last six years, Mother's Day has been the one day of year that I wish would just pass by quickly. After losing my mom in December 2002, Mother's Day is that one day each year that is a harsh reminder that she isn't here anymore. On the otherhand, this year will be my first time that I can celebrate being a mom.

I thought that I would take time today to pay tribute and talk about my mom. She was definitely a lively person who made a lot of friends and tried to live life the best way she knew how. Even in her final months when her illness was getting the best of her, she hardly ever complained and continued on as if everything was okay. She kept her diseases a secret (Lupus and Schleroderma) because she didn't want anyone to feel sorry for her and treat her any different. She put all her energy into being there for my sister and I growing up and never missed (or my dad) any of our countless sporting events, concerts, etc... She even made a point to support Dan in all of his road races in Decatur. It is difficult because losing my mom at a young age, I had just started to appreciate her. I feel sad that I never really got the opportunity to thank her for all that she did for us. She was such a giver in life.

I try and not dwell on the fact that my mother is no longer here, but sometimes it is hard not to. I feel extremely blessed that I had 24 years with her, while others never even get that long. What does sadden me though is the fact that she never got to meet Jacob (or any other future grandchildren). I really feel sorry for Jacob because he is going to miss out in knowing his grandma. What I do plan on doing is making sure he gets to know her through stories and pictures. My dad made my sister and I each a photo album of pictures of our mom and us growing up. It was just about the sweetest gift I have ever gotten. It will be so great to show Jacob these pictures.

I think that when tragedy strikes, it is natural to react with a "why me?" I believe that these times of distress are what shapes who we are. When my mom died, the pastor explained to us that it wasn't God's plan for her to die at a young age. That is so hard to understand. What I think God's plan is is to test us and see how we come out of the situation. You can either drown in your sorrow and think about all of the negativity that the situation has dealt you or you can try and see how you can evolve from the circumstance and make the best of it. Not having a mom is definitely trying at times, especially during life changes when you want her there to celebrate with or when you have a question about a recipe, but I have definitely become a stronger person from it. You learn that life if fragile and how to live life to the fullest.

Take time this Mother's Day to express your appreciation for all of the mothers in your life. Now that I am a mother, I better understand all of the sacrifice and worry that goes into parenting a child (and I'm just getting started!).

We are planning to celebrate the day by having family over to the house for a cookout. It is always nice having both our families over to just relax and eat. I plan on giving my grandmother an extra big hug today. She has been so great to my sister and I over the years, especially after my mom died. She is about as motherly as they come and just the sweetest person on the planet. Dan's mom will also be coming to our house and she raised four kids (bless her heart) and spends a good deal a time with our niece who just adores her. She is an extremely hard worker who never gets a moment of peace to herself, so I hope that she is able to sit back and relax some today.

Happy Mother's Day!!

(If I can figure out my scanner, I'll post some pictures of my mom later)

Decatur's Brush with Hollywood

As many of you probably have heard by now, Matt Damon is filming the movie "The Informant" in Decatur right now based on the ADM price-fixing scandal in the mid-90s. It is hard to believe that a major movie star and Hollywood movie production are filming as we speak in Decatur. Decatur gets a bad rap in the media, some deserved some not, but it is exciting to me that Decatur will be featured in an expected Hollywood movie blockbuster, even if it is based on a negative story. I have been following the movie production progress on Decatur's newspaper web site, http://www.herald-review.com/informant/. It is amazing to me how much the town cooperates in order for the movie production to proceed. Streets and businesses near production have been temporarily shut down, snow has been added for effect, the mall has put up its Christmas decorations, corn has been imported since the corn is only in the planting stage now, and Firestone has tranformed into an auto dealearship.

As a Hollywood junkie, I wish that I could go down to Decatur and seek out Matt Damon and other actors and try and meet them. Apparently, Matt Damon has been meeting fans and taking pictures with them. There are other well-known actors in the movie as well. Joel McHale (E! host of "The Soup") is playing an FBI agent and the guy from Quantum Leap is playing the FBI agent who deals primarily with Matt Damon's character (and coincidentally this character is playing my friend of a friend's dad). If I don't get the opportunity to take a trip back, I'll just have to wait until the movie is released in 2009. It will be so cool to be able to see my own hometown landmarks in a major motion picture!!

Wish me luck in my Matt Damon stalker endeavors!!

No Carrots for Jacob

We started Jacob on baby food this weekend since he has mastered cereal pretty well. He got his first helping of carrots on Saturday and did okay with it. I think that he was a little startled to taste something other than milk or rice cereal. He didn't seem excited about it, but he did eat everything I gave him. Not so yesterday, though! He had the whole "bitter-beer face" thing going on. It was hysterical. I thought that maybe he would prefer his carrots warmed up so I tried that with no luck. I want to try the carrots again tonight to see if he changes his mind and plan on having the camera ready this time around to capture his reaction!!

Jacob is sitting up like a pro now. It is so great to put him on the floor with toys around him and let him play on his own. He does tumble every now and again, but it is getting less and less frequent. He is also really starting to reach for things. He now grabs his own toys off the floor and he even picked his pacifier up and put it in his mouth yesterday. This is what I have been waiting for! He is pretty addicted to it, so if he can learn to put it in his mouth himself, it will make our lives a lot easier :)