Felt Playhouse

So a while back, I ran across a felt playhouse on http://homemadebyjill.blogspot.com, and fell in love!! I knew I wanted to make one for Jarvis. I bought the felt, and 4 months later... still hadn't done anything, hehe. However I finally got in gear, and many, many, many, MANY hours later- IT'S DONE! 

*at least mostly, more produce, letters, play money, etc to be added later!*

It sits on top of two card tables, so they fold down easy and pack away pretty well. Everything is felt, so it won't fray. 

Front of the house! Apples and bird velcro off, corn comes out of the husks, 

carrots come out of the soil, and mailbox opens.

Side: Clothes clip on/off the line or are stored in the green basket. 

Water and food are interchangeable in the dog bowl, and the bone comes off. 

Produce stand: Produce velcros on/of or goes in crate and barrell, Price signs velcro on/off. 

Other side: Flowers go in/out of the window box and have pipe cleaners in them for shape.

squirrel, beans, lettuce leaves, and apples velcro on/off.

He did this on his own, silly puppy. :)

 Jarvis, the puppy, and the kitty all LOVE it! Obviously, most of the functions are above Jarvis' developmental level right now, but he loves crawling in and out and pulling everything off the sides. Puppy hangs out in there quite and bit, and kitty hides in there.

Just wanted to share :)

Much love, C

10.5 months... cont...

So I mention in the post below, written just yesterday, that he hasn't shown an progress towards standing. And then I go and leave the house for a few hours this morning for a meeting, and low and behold...  the stinker starts standing on his own!!!

I swear, that child waits til it's just Daddy, and then does all the new stuff!! I mean really, I'm the stay-at-home mom, I'm not supposed to miss things, hahaha! Guess the sweet baby is making Daddy feel good :)

But really, he's standing on his own now. Just a few seconds, but he's trying. Balancing and getting there... he's so big!!

Just wanted to update on that! Have a wonderful evening!

C

10.5 months...

So I sorta missed doing a post for Jarvis at 10 months, so I am going to do an in-between one, because he has changed so much lately!

First off, it's 18 degrees as I write this. Even colder with the wind-chill... Minot winter has arrived!!


One of the biggest developments I have noticed over the past weeks, is that Jarvis has developed a concept of Space. He really enjoys crawling under and through things. Chairs, the bookshelf cubes, legs, play tunnel, coffee table, just about anything he can find, he wants to crawl under it! He enjoys the challenge. He understands when he has to duck his head though, which is another improvement, he will duck to fit under something. The only thing he hasn't gotten is that he can't stop halfway under and try to sit up :) This frustrates him! (Check out the videos on you.tube.com!)

He understands how to grab a door with one hand and swing it open so he can go through it, which is not so great if Mama forgets to shut doors!! He pulls up on everything and stands with only one hand for support, but he hasn't shown much progress towards standing independently or walking. He will crouch independently is he's sitting from standing, but he's still working on his balance!


Waving has to be my favorite skill so far (besides smiling :) ). He has definitely gotten the concept of waving 'hi' and 'bye-bye.' If you just say, "Jarvis, hi!" He will stop and wave! He waves goodbye anytime we put him in his crib or one of us is walking out the door. It is so much fun to see this comprehension, and you can tell he is so proud of himself!!

When he is done eating, I sign 'all-done.' (All-done in sign language is hands open, palm down, fingers spread, shaking back and forth.) Just in the past couple of days, he waves his arms when I sign all-done, I think he may be close to getting this one! Thus, I am starting to work even harder on all the other signs I use! I can't wait for him to start signing back.

If Jarvis is touching something that we don't want him too (ex, cords), or going somewhere we don't want, we typically say, "No-no, Jarvis, we don't touch cords." And he understands. He will sit back, pull his hands away and up to his mouth and look at me. I then thank for for listening and quickly try to distract him with another toy! If he's interested in the toy, we are all good, but if not, he will usually try to do what he was originally doing. Then I have to pick him up and move him. But just the fact that 1/2 the time, he listens and then moves away makes me so proud! Not that there won't be battles, but he's learning and catching on, which makes me really happy!

He has started to throw little baby 'mini-fits,' if we takes something away from him or prevent him from doing something. He also does it if he wants something but we don't know. He just fusses and cries a bit... I just can't believe it's already happening! It only last a few seconds and he calms down on his own... but boy, are we going to have our hands full, he is a stubborn little boy!

He is extremely persistent and has an excellent memory. The other day I was cleaning during nap time and ran out of time to vacuum the living room, so I left the vacuum in the living room, and didn't think anything of it. He apparently caught sight of it on the way to the kitchen/playroom, and as soon as I set him down, he made a fast bee-line for the vacuum cord. Despite moving him back several times, he still kept at it, very persistent! Eventually the vacuum ended up in the closet and Jarvis was not happy!

We took Jarvis bowling for the first time and he thoroughly enjoyed it! We put up the baby roller, and he stood up right on it and pushed that ball, no hesitation! It's like he naturally knew what to do! He only rolled a couple of balls, but here's a picture:

Much love! J, C, and J

Christmas Session

Hello all,

We went and took family Christmas pictures this weekend for our Christmas cards. My good friend Stacy is an excellent photographer!

You can look at all of them here: www.stacyvandyckphotography.com/clients/mccown3

You can order from that website, or you can contact me if you want to order! She needs them in soon to have them back before Christmas. Enjoy!! That little boy is pretty stinkin' cute :)

Much love,

C

this much [10 mos]

And following that entry right up with month 10... and I'm going to throw in 2 this month, couldn't decide which one I liked more!

Took me many tries with the self timer, but I finally got one! Focus is a little off, but I still  love it!

Month 10: Love those chubby thighs and belly...

Month 10: Attempting to wrangle him for a picture is not that easy!

this much [9 mos]

So my wonderful friend over at styleberry blog is doing an amazing project. She's calling it 'this much,' and her goal is to get a picture of her daughter and herself every month, since often times us Moms are behind and not in front of the camera. Shawna over at styleberry blog, although not my original inspiration for cloth diapers and homemade baby food, has been an inspiring resource on both those topics.

She's an amazing photographer, and although my pictures are no where near the quality of hers, they are beautiful to me, and that's the whole point of her project!

She started last month, and I was behind the ball, so here's my catch up post :)

Swinging in the park- 9 mos, taken by Daddy on the iphone.

Much love, 

C

Quick....

Lots of new pictures up on Shutterfly from Poppy and Oma's visit, First Snow, and First Halloween!! Check them out! http://jaceandchelsea.shutterfly.com/

Also check out youtube for more recent videos! http://www.youtube.com/user/jace26

I'll post on them soon :)

C

Before the Morning.

This isn't an entry I particularly wanted to write. I'm not sure why I've had so much trouble sharing this information, as we have had it for several weeks, but I have. However, I feel that it's important that you, our family, know the results.

After much deliberation and prayer, we had decided to have an autopsy as well as general blood screening done on Job. Not everyone will agree with this, and it was a very hard decision for us. The chances of knowing what happened and if it could affect other pregnancies went up drastically with an autopsy. We knew we couldn't do anything for Job and that his soul, his life, was up with our Lord.

We got back the results a couple weeks ago, and they were normal. Everything was normal, perfect, developing well, no issues. The cord and placenta were good. There were no genetic abnormalities and his chromosomes were normal. They were unable to give us any reason that Job's heart stopped beating.

In the long run, this is good news, there appear to be no major issues with me that would affect future pregnancies, although we can't be completely certain because there are some things they can't test for after the fact. It is hard news to swallow though, because it makes losing Job seem even more pointless.

We still have hope in the Lord and trust in His big plan.

Do you wonder why you have to,
feel the things that hurt you,
if there's a God who loves you,
where is He now?

Maybe, there are things you can't see
and all those things are happening
to bring a better ending
some day, some how, you'll see, you'll see

Chorus:
Would dare you, would you dare, to believe,
that you still have a reason to sing,
'cause the pain you've been feeling,
can't compare to the joy that's coming

so hold on, you got to wait for the light
press on, just fight the good fight
because the pain you've been feeling, 
it's just the dark before the morning

My friend, you know how this all ends
and you know where you're going,
you just don't know how you get there
so just say a prayer.
and hold on, cause there's good who love God,
life is not a snapshot, it might take a little time,
but you'll see the bigger picture

Would dare you, would you dare, to believe,
that you still have a reason to sing,
'cause the pain you've been feeling,
can't compare to the joy that's coming

so hold on, you got to wait for the light
press on, just fight the good fight
because the pain you've been feeling, 
it's just the dark before the morning
yeah, yeah,
before the morning,
yeah, yeah

Once you feel the way of glory,
all your pain will fade to memory
once you feel the way of glory,
all your pain will fade to memory
memory, memory, yeah

Would dare you, would you dare, to believe,
that you still have a reason to sing,
'cause the pain you've been feeling,
can't compare to the joy that's coming

Would dare you, would you dare, to believe,
that you still have a reason to sing,
'cause the pain you've been feeling,
can't compare to the joy that's coming

com'n, you got to wait for the light
press on, just fight the good fight
because the pain you've been feeling,
it's just the hurt before the healing
the pain you've been feeling,
just the dark before the morning

Before The Morning- Josh Wilson




Love, J, C, & J

9.5 months...

Well, Jarvis certainly needs an update, he has changed so much in the past couple of weeks! I've been meaning to write this post all week, so hopefully I can get it done during naptime!

He now has 4 teeth total, the top two have broken through. The two on each side of those are near the surface too and will probably come in sometime in the next couple of weeks. He has not been as fussy for these teeth, and I hope that will be normal! He's still such a good natured baby most of the time, it's very nice.

On the playing front, we have added some toys to his playroom and have noticed some hilarious things! We put up a magnetic white board and added some multi-colored letters. Since then, we have noticed that prefers the blue Os. It doesn't matter how you mix them up, he will go straight for the blue Os and pull them off. He does pull the other letters off, but blue Os are a favorite... and he's smart enough to pick them out!

Another 'accidental' toy we added were empty two-liter dr. pepper bottles. He LOVES them. We've had them out for two weeks and he plays with them the majority of the time. They are easy for him to grab and make lots of noise when hit on things! I just added buttons and rice to them, and now he loves that they make even more noise! (Don't worry, he can't get them open!) Seriously though... the cheapest toys.... paper towel rolls, boxes that packages come in, kitchen utensils, the simple stuff is his favorite!

We've also noticed an amazing ability to use his 'mutant' thumbs (as Daddy calls them). He has developed the ability to control them and use them like any other finger. He can palm the side of the two-liters or 3-inch balls with no problem. He picks up containers and bowls with one hand. When we would use our first finger to reach out and touch something or explore the texture or such, he uses his thumb. It's really quite fascinating to watch. He will most likely be palming a basketball by his early teens, something not even all grown men can do! I was most worried about the functional use of his thumbs, but he seems to be taking it all in stride, which considering his thumbs are 'normal' to him, shouldn't be too surprising!!

He now stands without issue and has begun 'cruising' along tables and couches. He is very close to walking, but I think it will still be a few weeks before he gets enough balance, strength, and bravery to try standing alone and walking.

Last weekend, one of the songs played on his toy that we hear often, it's about saying hello and goodbye on the phone. I waved bye-bye at him, and he waved back for the first time!! Since then, he will wave hello and goodbye fairly consistently. He chooses not to if he's occupied playing or isn't comfortable in the situation, but he has defiantly shown understanding and response to hello and goodbye. It's so much fun to see the beginnings of communication. We can't wait to see more of his personality as he starts communicating more!

On that same note, he also recognizes the phrases 'puppy-dog' and 'kitty-cat.' If I say either of those, he looks around for Luc and Juliette. He defiantly gets those two, and LOVES chasing them. The puppy has gotten pretty good about letting Jarvis crawl all over him. The cat on the other hand, she RUNS when she sees him coming!! He is fascinated with her, and will try to catch her every time. He has a special voice for when he is talking to the puppy or kitty, and it's hilarious to hear. I never realized how often I say 'puppy-dog' and 'kitty-cat' or that I consistently talk to them in a different tone of voice. But I must, since he mimics what I do all day long! I can tell he and the pup are going to be good friends!

Just for fun, here are some of his favorite foods: oatmeal with fruit, any kind of fruit puree, yougurt, avacado, bananas, yogurt, cheese, wheat bread, turkey pieces, extra-firm tofu, rice cakes, cheerios, and oh, did I mention yogurt?? :) He still does a mix of bottle, then purees, then finger foods at every meal. And we are slowly mastering the sippy cup, finally!

We were thrilled to have visitors this past week, Jarvis had a blast with Poppy and Omi, Jace's dad and step-mother. They got to play and hang out with Jarvis for several days, and even got a low fly-over from Jace in the Huey! Big thanks to them for coming all the way up here, it was wonderful to see them!!

Last thing I wanted to mention was Christmas presents for Jarvis. I am putting together a list of 'recommended' gifts or suggestions for Jarvis. Our goal is to buy toys that have multiple uses, can grow with him and be used for more than just a month. My list will consist of a lot of developmental toys that encourage learning while playing. That does not mean you HAVE to buy anything on the list, anything you want to buy him is fine!! But I will give suggestions as to age appropriateness and interest level and clothing sizes to help you out :) So be watching for that in the next week or two.

Much love to you all,

J, C, & J

joy in sorrow...

I'm feeling really beat down lately. I guess it's to be expected. It's so hard to have hope in the face of adversity. It can be difficult to find. I am hurting for one of my best friends, who's little boy was only with them a few days. For what they, and we, are missing. 




So for lack of a better post... here's some scripture from my heart.


1 Peter 3:15

"But in your heart set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have."

Psalm 73:23-26

 ²³ Yet I am always with you;
       you hold me by my right hand.
 ²⁴ You guide me with your counsel,
       and afterward you will take me into glory.
 ²⁵ Whom have I in heaven but you?
       And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
 ²⁶ My flesh and my heart may fail,
       but God is the strength of my heart
       and my portion forever.

Psalm 6:6-7

 ⁶ I am worn out from groaning;
       all night long I flood my bed with weeping
       and drench my couch with tears.
 ⁷ My eyes grow weak with sorrow;
       they fail because of all my foes.

Job 30:27

 ²⁷ The churning inside me never stops;
       days of suffering confront me.

Isaiah 43

 ¹ But now, this is what the LORD says— 

       he who created you, O Jacob,
       he who formed you, O Israel:
       "Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
       I have summoned you by name; you are mine. ² When you pass through the waters,
       I will be with you;
       and when you pass through the rivers,
       they will not sweep over you.
       When you walk through the fire,
       you will not be burned;
       the flames will not set you ablaze.
 ³ For I am the LORD, your God,
       the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
       I give Egypt for your ransom,
       Cush ^[a] and Seba in your stead.

Ecclesiastes 11:5

 ⁵ As you do not know the path of the wind,
       or how the body is formed ^[a] in a mother's womb,
       so you cannot understand the work of God,
       the Maker of all things.

Psalm 119:49-50 

 ⁴⁹ Remember your word to your servant,
       for you have given me hope. ⁵⁰ My comfort in my suffering is this:
       Your promise preserves my life.




I have hope in my Savior. In the eternal life to come. I struggle in my sorrow and disbelief, but my Lord is always by my side. 




Chelsea

another angel.

I just found out that one of my dear friends lost her baby boy last night. He was very premature, and although seemed to be doing well, his little heart stopped beating just a few days after being born.

I ask you for prayers for these first time parents who are suffering a loss that no one should every experience. Please pray for them and their families for strength and comfort.

Thank you.

National Pregnancy/Infant Loss Day

Tomorrow is National Pregnancy/Infant Loss Day. I wanted to share a website that is doing some amazing things  for this national day.

http://www.iamtheface.org/

I have donated, and hope you will too. Job's name is here, 10 lines up from the bottom. My face is here.

This campaign is organized by the creators of http://www.facesofloss.com/

Punkins...

Thank you for all the comments, they made me happy : )

We are well into fall here, and it's been beautiful- weather in the 70s for the past two weeks, which compared to last years 30s/40s, is very, very warm! I'm sure winter will hit any day now and we will be back to the subzero temperatures.... but for now....

It's fall, and that means punkin patches, halloween costumes, swings, and lots of walks! We are looking forward to a visit from Poppy and Oma this next week, I know Jarvis (and us) can't wait to spend some time with them!

 

Enjoy.... (LOTS more up on www.jaceandchelsea.shutterfly.com in the Fall 2010 and Jarvis-10 months albums)

Love,
J, C, & J

comment away....

I love comments. I get all excited when I see someone has commented on a post.

I'm always surprised to hear that someone reads my blog, or checks it daily. I didn't really think I had anything that interesting to say. Then again, it's mostly about Jarvis, and he is pretty fascinating.... sooo.... :)

Since I have discovered how much I love comments, I've been commenting more on other people's blogs, because everyone should know they are interesting!

So here's my shameless beg to make my day and comment :D

It's just below here.... go ahead, you know you want to....

Growing like a weed...

I can't believe it's only been 2 weeks since my last post about Jarvis. He has grown so much during that time!

He'll be 9 months old in just under a week, so this will probably be his 9 month post...

His biggest development is pulling up to standing. A week and a half ago, he still needed lots of help, although he was trying hard. Now, he pulls to standing on E.VE.RY.THING. Seriously. Everything. The couch, the sides of chairs, the coffee table, his big wooden block toy, his music table, the cubes that hold his toys, the dog's crate, his crib, his pack n' play.

The crib and pack n' play (portable crib) have big the biggest developments. He's now standing, peering over the top of the crib when you come to get him up from a nap. It's adorable. He used to have independent play time in his pack n' play for 30 minutes twice a day. I used to have it in the playroom, and I could still wash dishes, be on the computer, etc without it disturbing him. Once he learned to pull up in his pack n' play, he stands and yells at me over the top of it the entire time. Thus, we have moved independent play time into his crib, which he has handled very well.

Just in the last few days, he has learned to pull to standing on flat surfaces, like a wall or the door to the outside. He loves standing at the back door watching the puppy outside. Really, he loves standing. Period. Loves standing.

He also loves music and dancing... I was trying to post a video below, but it's too big, check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NjqzjB0VJM, such a cutie.

He has also been trying to talk with more purpose. He imitates tone and inflection more, and is obviously trying to talk and say things at appropriate moments. He really loves talking.

He understands the sign language for "all done" after eating or changing a diaper. He doesn't sign it himself yet, but if he's fussing and wanting to get out of the high chair, he calms when you sign "all done" and lets you wipe his hands and face and get him out. We are working on "more" and "hungry" and other simple signs.

We've branched out on his toys recently, moving into some "big boy" toys like dump trucks and garbage trucks, and he loves them! He has a peek-a-boo book that makes car, truck, train, and ambulance noises when you raise the correct flaps, and he LOVES lifting the flap, groaning in joy (another new development), putting it back down, then raising it again to hear the noise. I still can't believe he's learned exactly which one (of the 4 flaps) on each page makes a noise.

We started "finger-painting" once a week or so, and he enjoys that. Mostly he enjoys making a mess all over himself, and heading straight to bath time. Speaking of bath time, he has moved out of the "big baby tub" (the blow-up duckie) and is now just taking baths in the bath tub. He loves moving around in the water, splashing, playing with the letters that stick on the tub sides, and the spray of the water from the jet. He even seems to love the water over his face, he licks his lips and tries to drink it as it runs down his face!

Clothing-wise, he's in 9-12 month onesies and shirts, and 12-18mo pants and socks. His big little diaper bum makes all his pants not fit :P He mostly dresses like a big boy now, in pants and shirts, rather than onesies. It makes him look so much older!

I really think he will be cruising any day now (cruising is when they walk along things, holding on, around tables, along the edges of couches, it's early walking). He's very close and lifts his legs and turns, and sits back down after standing with no problem. Walking may still be a few weeks away, but probably not more than a month or two. It looks like we will have an early walker on our hands.

Hmmm, guess that's it for now. I'll add some pictures down here, but check at www.chelseaandjace.shutterfly.com and http://www.youtube.com/user/jace26 for a bunch of recent pictures and videos.

And ummmm... wow does J look like his dad in these pictures!! John, I didn't know you had come for bath time!! :D

Much love,

J, C, & J