The Johnson Journal

Pre-School

2010-09-14T15:27:00.000-07:00

My little Carter...

And so it begins....school. How did we end up here so soon!?

You were pretty excited to go, and didn't really seem that nervous besides one comment the night before "mom, are you going to leave me there all alone?" But, I assured you we'd be back to pick you up before you knew it. After I reminded you your buddy Tyler would be in your class, you were looking forward to it!

I think you were most excited about getting to have your own locker! You practiced opening and closing it a few times, and then proudly hung up your backpack and coat. We headed into the classroom, and although I don't think you made eye contact, you did say hi to both of your teachers (you can be a bit shy sometimes and I wasn't sure you'd even talk to them at first!), so I was proud of you for saying "hi" without needing an encouraging nudge from me.

After putting up with me taking pictures, you finally said "Mom, can I go play now?" and that was that...off you went! Daddy, Ella and I stayed for a few minutes, and dad stopped to say goodbye and you gave each other fist bumps. I was a little surprised when dad said "um I'm going to go wait in the hallway...Ella is getting antsy". I'm not sure if that was actually true, or if he just didn't want to get emotional! I stayed a bit long enough to realize you didn't really care if I was there...you were pretty into the fun water table! So, you gave me a kiss goodbye and off we went. I'm not sure how much longer you'll think it's OK to kiss your mom on the lips in public....so I'll cherish it while it lasts :)

When I went to pick you up, you were all smiles....and I could tell you were proud of yourself- as was I. I'm so glad you had great first day, and hope you enjoy the rest of the year.

Love you buddy!

She's growing up.

2010-09-07T05:12:00.000-07:00

It's been 3 days since I last nursed Ella. I think we're done.

I had been reading up on how to wean (Carter made the choice for me with him) and found that a lot of people did a sort of "ceremonial last nursing session"...knowing it was their last, relishing in the closeness and bond. I just couldn't do that...couldn't say "this is the last time I'm nursing her" without tears and making it sad for me. So I just didn't think about it, then one night I just decided I'd see how it went putting her to bed without nursing, and of course she did just fine. So again I tried it the next night...and that was that.

It's been a long 14 months with a baby who not once took a bottle, but 14 months I'll forever cherish. The "experts" say how good it is for baby to breastfeed, "breast is best" after all. What they don't tell you is how much you benefit from it as a mom. The closeness, the bonding, enjoying the only time of day when they're getting older that they will stay still and cuddle and for those few minutes still be your baby. Knowing they need you just as much as you need them is priceless.

The feeling of growing your baby well beyond birth is really amazing, and something to be proud of.

One Year

2010-07-21T12:17:00.000-07:00

I'm a month late on this, but here are pictures from Ella's first birthday!

Some fun facts about Ella at one year:

-She is 17.5 lbs (3%) and 30" tall (75%)

-She has 7 1/2 teeth (four on top, three 1/2 on bottom).

- Nicknames: Ellie Belly, Smelly Ellie, Piggy, Ella J, Ella Bella, Pony Wony, Fuzzy (the last two are Carter's...not sure where he came up with them...but he calls her Fuzzy quite a bit... "Hi Fuzzy Fuzzy" LOL)

-She is a human vacuum, and will eat just about anything I put in front of her (or, she'll at least try it). She consistently eats more than her big brother on a daily basis, yet somehow only makes it in to the 3rd percentile for weight!

-She knows what she likes and doesn't like- any and all food she doesn't like gets immediately tossed on the floor.

-She loves water, be it the bathtub, pool, lake, or the kitchen sink. However, she won't go in the kiddie pool if it's cold!

-I can finally say she is a good sleeper. While she still might get up once a night and need some cuddling to get back to sleep- I can now put her in her crib awake, walk out the door and have her fall asleep on her own with no screaming. This, is priceless!

-She is still nursing morning and night.

-She hates cow's milk.

-She loves to laugh at Carter.

-She has no interest in the TV or any baby videos.

- She LOVES to brush her teeth.

- She loves "touch and feel" books, especially the furry animal pages...they make her laugh every time!

-I love watching her imitate me...trying to put on lip gloss, trying to brush her hair or put in her own hair bows.

-She loves to be flipped upside down and tickled.

-Now that she's really figured out walking- she is all over the place, and loving her new found freedom!

-She loves her pink chenille blanket. Every time I get it before bed/naps...she immediately bury's her head in it and rubs her nose side to side.

-She loves to be outside, and especially loves the sandbox.

- "Hi" is her one and only word. She says Hi all the time- in the morning, randomly throughout the day- but my favorite time is when she's crying in the middle of the night and I go to rock her back to sleep. Once she calms down, she almost always looks up at me and says "Hi" in the cutest little tired baby voice (as if she's saying "Hi mom, thanks for coming and cuddling with me!"). It just melts my heart...and this is why I don't mind still getting up occasionally to comfort her at night.

-Even though she can't talk, she can communicate quite well and can definitely let us know when she's not happy by a series of loud, angry babbles.

I am very thankful for her, and feel proud and blessed to be her mommy.

Racooms and Mice.

2010-07-03T05:59:00.000-07:00

Yes, I realize I spelled Racooms wrong...but that's how Carter pronounces it, and it's just too cute to correct him at this point. I've found I need to be careful about what I say as he takes things quite literally. This kid is terrified of Racoons for some reason. If I mention a racoon...he gets very concerned and will proceed to talk about racoons for the next half hour or so...making sure we're not in any immediate danger.

He'll ask about their teeth, if they are in our yard, etc. Surely this stems from one night when I woke Ben up at 2am to investigate the "intruder" who was making a ruckus outside our bedroom window....turned out to be a Racoon but it sure scared me and I was talking about it the next morning....and Carter still hasn't forgotten!

Also the other day we were going to bring Ben dinner at the house he's fixing up, we were going to pick him up and go for ice cream. Carter, concerned about dad's car...said "we can't leave dad's car there, the mice will get in it". So I assured him that we'd lock the doors....and I can see his little wheels spinning in his head. So then he talks about the mice in OUR basement (we spotted two last fall), and Ben must've told him the mice would eat his pants...because he kept saying he had to make sure his pants were put away so the mice didn't eat them. LOL. I had to explain to him that mice don't eat pants, and certainly don't eat pants that are in our bedrooms or if we are wearing them (maybe they eat holes in pants if they are in storage in the basement...who knows??). Either way, I feel bad the poor kid has been worried that mice will eat his pants since last fall...LOL.

The point is...I have to be careful about what I say to him...his little mind takes things so literally these days (see below about "how many sleeps until Grammies house").

He loves his Grammie.

2010-07-03T05:53:00.000-07:00

Carter has been soooo excited to go to Grammies (my mom) house for the 4th of July...unusually so. For the past week EVERY MORNING he pesters me "are we going today mommy? When are we going to grammies?". So I've been telling him "four more sleeps, three more sleeps", etc.

So the other day before nap time he asked (again) and I told him "only two more sleeps!". So, he wakes up from his nap and first thing he asks is "So only one more sleep now!". (side note- proud my little buddy can do simple math...haha). I explain to him that two more NIGHT sleeps....and perhaps he woke up crabby but his eyes welled up with tears, his little chin started quivering and he was trying SOO hard to not cry...but he couldn't help it and just let the waterworks flow. Poor kiddo.

Today- we're headed out there and he made sure to let me know first thing this morning that we can't stay too long at the parade or else we'll be late for Grammie's house!

Over the river, and through the woods...it's off to Grammie's we go! I'm looking forward to a fun day at the lake, and the weather is GREAT today!

Cotton Baby

2010-06-11T19:06:00.000-07:00

I've had quite a few people look at me like I have two heads when they find out I use cloth diapers. "Really, ew!! I could NEVER do that!". So, I thought I'd just take a few minutes to explain.

I started using cloth diapers when Carter was about 8 months old. I'm pretty sure it was saving money that was my first incentive. I was tired of spending money on disposables! I also knew I really disliked throwing out bags and bags of icky used disposable diapers, knowing full well they wouldn't decompose for over 500 years. Yes, you heard right- 500 years folks!

I also discovered that disposable diapers — Yes, even the ones at the health food store — have a whole host of chemicals in them (chlorine, polymer gels that were outlawed for use in tampons because they caused toxic shock syndrome)...and I knew I didn't want them next to my baby's butt 24 hrs a day! Just google disposable diaper "ingredients" to find out more.

With Ella I decided to take a break, and started out with disposables...but kept thinking of going back to cloth. After talking to a few other friends who cloth diapered, I jumped in and haven't looked back (well, daytime only...I put a 'sposie on her at night for now).

But what about the poop?? Here’s the thing: Poop is just part of motherhood. There is no getting around it! Seriously, after a while you don’t even care, because you love your baby so much.

Did I mention they are cute, cute, CUTE?? So very cute, and super soft. These are not your grannie's cloth diapers. I'm pretty sure if Ella could talk she'd much rather wear the super soft cloth than crunchy paper...Wouldn't you?

So that's that. We all do whatever we think is best for our kids, and for me I just feel better about using cloth.

Did I mention they're cute?

(Ella sporting her Fishnoodles Bamboo Solo Flyer)

That's my boy!

2010-06-10T18:17:00.000-07:00

Silly, Serious, Strong-Willed, Sensitive, Competitive, Loving, Shy, yet bold little man...and I just love him to pieces :)

Favorite Toy

2010-06-10T17:14:00.000-07:00

At 11 months, this little train is by far her favorite toy! It was a Christmas gift from Grammie and Grandpa! There's so many different buttons and things to do on it, it really is a great little toy. I think it'll hold her interest and last a long time.

Bed Head.

2010-06-10T16:43:00.000-07:00

This is pretty typical of what Ella looks like after waking up from a nap. Her future husband is a lucky, lucky man.

Day at the Lake!

2010-05-31T06:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we spent the day at my mom's house on the lake. We've been so busy with yard work, getting the vegetable garden in, planting, and just lots of general busy-ness, that a day to just relax on the beach and ride the boat was very welcome! The kids had a blast playing on the slip n' slide, riding the boat, swimming in the water and just being kids!

Time Flies

2010-05-31T06:53:00.001-07:00

It's hard to believe, in 11 months Ella has gone from this:

to this:

"HI"

2010-05-31T05:00:00.000-07:00

Nothing major to report, actually I seem to be quite slacking in the blog area...I will work on it!

I just wanted to report that Ella's first word seems to be "Hi". For a while I thought it was just babble....something she was just doing at random, but she will say "Hi" in the cutest little sing-songy baby girl voice when you enter a room, and if you say Hi to her, she'll most likely say it back!

Still working on "mama" :)

Also, she took her first steps a few weeks ago, but hasn't done much since then. She'll take a few steps here or there, but is quite unsure about...so prefers to crawl around still- fine with me!

I'm working on planning her 1st birthday party- and am in awe she's going to be ONE!!

Baby Blues...

2010-03-02T19:48:00.000-08:00

Check out these blue eyes! While I do sort of wish one of my children had carried on the green eyed gene from me, these baby blues are just so pretty!

Oooh, She's crafty.

2010-03-02T19:29:00.000-08:00

Perhaps it's the need to make pretty things after months of dreary Michigan winter, but I thought I'd share two things we recently made. The first is a birthday present for my sister...Ben built the game boards, and I painted them! Only one is shown, but there are two in case that's not obvious to those who haven't ever played the game.

Second up is this adorable hair bow holder! My sister found this idea online, and it's oh so easy, so I couldn't resist. All you need is a funky frame, a hot glue gun, spray paint and some ribbon...finally an end to digging in drawers for lost bows.

For a full tutorial, follow visit the following page: http://kari-youcanmakeit.blogspot.com/2009/06/funky-bow-holder-thingy-tutorial-from.html

Ben's birthday bash.

2010-02-03T16:54:00.000-08:00

I think I might almost be recovered from this "little" party. That's what I get for putting an invite out on Facebook huh? We figured we had just over 60 people throughout the night- yes, 60!

For those of you that know me well...this was quite the feat because while I enjoy company, I really don't like hosting parties. It's a lot of work (cleaning beforehand, preparing food, cleaning afterward, etc, etc.), and I find it to be more stressful than enjoyable for me- I'd much rather party at someone else's house so I can relax and socialize!

But, I know that we have a great sledding hill, and I'll admit our pond is pretty cool as an ice skating rink (even though I'd like to fill the pond in...makes me nervous for the kids when it's not frozen, and it attracts mosquitos), but I thought it would be fun!

I had planned on most people staying outside for the "outdoor" sledding and skating party, but a lot of people chose to stay inside- which was fine, but just created a lot of chaos (or what seemed chaotic to me!). Regardless, the kids had a BLAST, and I think most of the adults did too. It's just priceless to watch the smiles on little kids faces as they race down the hill, and that made it all worth it!

*If* there is a next time, I think we'll set up tables in the garage and have ALL the food out there...that would give us a lot more space for eating, and more space inside for those who want to just hang out inside.

For the rest of the season we'll continue to enjoy the ice rink and sledding, and friends are always welcome, anytime!

Carter's Bike Fund

2010-02-03T16:41:00.001-08:00

So we're looking ahead to this Spring and know Carter will need a big boy bike. Don't get me wrong- he loves his trike and tears around on that thing like nobody's business, but he has been asking for a two-wheeler (and says he doesn't want training wheels- we'll see about that!).

We don't want to wait until his birthday because that's halfway through summer, so want to get him one for this Spring, but didn't just want to go buy one without a "special occasion" or something, thinking that might teach Carter he can just buy new toys whenever he wants. We decided to use it as a a lesson and teach Carter the importance of earning money.

So, he has a special jar labeled "Carter's bike fund", and he has chores that he has to do. Simple things like bringing his dishes to the sink after meals, and he has to take all the dirty washcloths and towels from the kitchen to the laundry room (awesome, because this is one I dislike doing!). He also has to put his own dirty clothes in his laundry basket, and help clean up his toys.

We're giving him $1 a day. Which, I know is kind of steep for a 3 year old, but if we want to get him a bike by Spring that's what has to be done. He really doesn't "get" money yet, he knows you buy things with it, etc, but hopefully this will help teach him about earning, saving, and giving.

Here's the proud little guy and his money jar....donations being accepted! :)

He sure "told" me!

2010-01-27T18:39:00.001-08:00

So lately I've been trying to involve Carter more in meal clean-up. Most days I ask him to just bring his dishes over to the sink, and I'll give him a paper towel and have him "help" clean up the mess he'd left on the floor under his chair, which usually just involves him moving the crumbs around on the floor with the paper towel, but I figure its good practice! But, he usually takes great pride in bringing his dishes to the sink- I can tell he feels like a "big" kid.

So, the other day I made myself a protein shake (a chocolate one at that!), and drank it while nursing Ella in the rocking chair in the living room. I left my almost empty cup on the coffee table while I went to go lay Ella down for a nap, then got busy with other things and forgot about the cup.

Next thing I hear the sound of liquid pouring onto the carpet (never a good sound!). Carter had been messing around in the rocking chair, and knocked the cup over with his feet. I proceeded to scold him for being careless, and he turns to me and says "Well YOU should have put your dishes away mom!".

I guess I couldn't argue with that one!

...And she's off!

2010-01-27T18:26:00.000-08:00

I'm so very thankful I am home and not working right now so that I am able to experience all the "firsts". It's so fun to just watch things "click" in their little brains. Ella has seemed to master the art of getting herself from her belly to sitting up, stay sitting up, and crawling all within a week and a half! My little smartie pants!

She's been scooting across the floor pretty well, but today was the first day she took actual strides on all fours...3 or 5 in a row, then back to her belly. I'll consider that crawling!

While I enjoy watching her learn and grow, I have to say I'm not sure if I'm ready for her to move towards "toddler-hood" and move away from "baby-hood" so quickly!

Today in bible study there was a teeny tiny newborn in his mama's arms sitting in the row in front of me. Stretching, grunting, making funny newborn baby faces...all while being so "floppy" and totally dependent on his mama. I still think of Ella as being so little, but when I see a really little one- it makes me realize how big she is getting, and reminds me to cherish these fleeting moments.

Still my "baby".

2010-01-16T11:59:00.000-08:00

Occasionally, Carter has a hard time napping these days (I'll be sad when he gives up nap time for good!), so on those days I try to make it fun/interesting for him.

On this particular day, he wanted to nap on his window bench, and in his usual fashion had his "puppies" to snuggle with.

No matter how big he gets, he still looks so peaceful to me while he's sleeping, and is still my "baby".

6 Months

2010-01-16T11:00:00.001-08:00

How does 6 months fly by so quickly? Wow.

Ella is such a blessing to us. She is such a calm spirit, and very content most of the time. She is very determined, that's for sure.

At 6 months, she is almost sitting up. She still falls over after a while, and prefers to spend her time on her belly or back. She is already up on her hands and knees rocking back and forth- and I know one of these days she will figure out how to coordinate her hands and legs together to crawl. In the meantime, she does just fine scooting herself across the room on her belly or rolling to reach the object of her little hearts desire...which is usually one of her big brothers monster trucks. Give the girl a monster truck, or a matchbox car and she's one happy lady!

She STILL refuses any type of bottle, pacifier, or sippy cup...which makes it hard for me to leave her for any long periods of time. We've started introducing the sippy cup though, and I can see her little brain working, with utter determination to "figure this thing out", because she gets little drips out (water, milk, etc), and wants more. She'll stare at it for a few seconds, then shove it in her mouth as fast as she can and start chewing on it with vigor. haha! Silly girl....one of these days she'll figure out how they work (I hope)!

She also started solid foods. Interestingly enough- she loves vegetables. She inhales peas, squash, and sweet potatoes. She makes sour faces at applesauce, peaches, pears or anything sweet, but eats them anyway!

She's also fairly quiet. Sure, she jabbers and talks....but I usually have to work pretty hard to get a good belly laugh out of her. She seems to be more content to take in her surroundings and quietly observe. Hmm, I wonder where she gets that from?

She sleeps great for the most part. I'm still up once or twice to nurse her at night, but she always goes right back to sleep. She also loves watching Carter....she is very intrigued by what her big brother is doing!

Speaking of Carter- he loves her like any great big brother should. Always showering her with kisses and hugs (ok most of the time), and trying to make her laugh. It's funny to me when I hear him calling her by nicknames that Ben and I will call her...most recently he calls her "Missy miss". "Hi Missy Miss!". So cute. Among other names we have for her...Ellie, Ella J, Janie, Sissy...I call her all sorts of things, whatever comes to mind at the moment. Hopefully she won't end up confused :) Also, every night before I put Carter to bed we quietly tip-toe into her room together and whisper good night. "Goodnight Ewwa Jane, sweep tight, I wuv you".

Looking forward to the next 6 months!

Catching up

2009-12-17T17:34:00.000-08:00

Ok I have too many thoughts in my head, and too little time to write an eloquent blog post, so here's a run-down:

1. I find I have FAR less time to get things done (such as blog, etc) now that I'm at home and not working (hey, there's a lot of down time when you're sitting at a computer at work all day!).

2. I haven't blogged about my weight loss because well, I haven't lost any and am embarrassed to admit it.

3. It just took me 5 tries to spell "embarrassed" properly.

4. I'm on day 7 of the 30 day shred, and refuse to give up despite aching knees and back. I'm determined to lose this weight!

5. December is an awful month to try to lose weight.

6. Saturday is my new weigh-in day....stay tuned.

7. I bought a new (to me) camera and am in love after taking only a handful of pictures.

8. I want to learn how to take GREAT pictures, and how to use PhotoShop to make them phenomenal.

9. It would be great if I ended up being really good and turned it into a business someday, but for now I just want it to be a really good and fun hobby.

10. Ella- Love her! Six months old (I'll do a blog post about her 6 month soon)...and just, I have no words....I just love her to pieces and am so grateful she is part of our family.

11. Carter....oh sweet Carter. Best big brother in the entire world. Stubborn as all get out, loves to 'win', loves playing with the 'big' boys, absolutely adores his daddy. Still snuggles with me at night, and I love every minute of it!

and a pic of each of my babies with my new camera:

Friday Weigh-In

2009-11-13T06:47:00.000-08:00

I was a little worried as I didn't work out much this week (awaiting 'The Shred' to arrive in the mail)...but I'm down 1.8 lbs! yay!

Five Months.

2009-11-12T11:31:00.001-08:00

Miss Ella Jane is five months old, and she is getting more and more fun by the minute!

She is rolling all over the place.
She offers a smile whenever requested.
If I tickle her belly I can get a few giggles out of her
She's a great sleeper!
She wants to get EVERYTHING in her mouth!
She loves watching her big brother
She loves her "Grabby Elephant"

Here's a few pics from this morning (click to enlarge):

And just for comparison, here is one of Carter about the same age. They are definitely siblings-no doubt about that!

It's about time.

2009-11-11T11:35:00.000-08:00

About time I kicked off this blog. I've had the page up for a few months, just waiting for something really profound to start it off with....and just kept putting it off. So, here goes with my first post- nothing profound, but it's a start!

My goal for this blog is somewhat selfish- a place to journal and keep a record of all the cute and wonderful things my kids do, how they grow, and what we are doing as a family. Whenever something funny or memorable happens I always think "I need to write that down!", and of course I never do- until now. I'm not a great writer by any means, but hopefully this will serve its purpose, along with sharing our lives with our friends.

Ok, so down to business. It's been coming for a long time, and I can't change it no matter what I do. The big 3.0 is nipping at my heels. I have a fear of getting older, like really old and not able to use my body like I want to, etc...and well, 30 is just one step closer to that.

Everyone knows having babies beats the crap out of your body- and I'm definitely feeling it after two. Most of you say I look great, and I can't say I look horrible...but my goal is to be down to my pre-pregnancy weight by my birthday, which is in about 4 weeks. If I'm going to turn 30- I want to look damn good doing it!

that's 8 pounds.

I should be able to do that, I hope. As long as it doesn't compromise my milk supply, I'm officially announcing I'm going to do it, in hopes that posting my goal on the world wide web will hold me accountable! So stay tuned. I weighed in last Friday, and will post my results of this Friday's weigh-in. Wish me luck! I'm hoping these last few pounds aren't here to stay (as I hear sometimes they will just hang on until you stop nursing).

We shall see.