2020
December
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Pandemic tree shopping

By • On • In Kids, Pandemic • 1 min read

Here’s how we picked out our Christmas tree this year. Emily typically joins us so this time she hopped on a Zoom meeting as we all browsed Home Depot’s website. It was actually pretty nice — we didn’t have to deal with the usual bad weather or trying to stuff a tree in our car. Plus free shipping!

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Happy Thanksgiving!

By • On • In Kids, Pandemic • 1 min read

COVID kept us on our own for Thanksgiving this year. We did a pajama day while cooking — I made dessert and apps while Justin handled the main meal. I tried to find a frozen version of Aunt Maureen’s specialty appetizer but it was not the same! The pie was not like Grandma’s either — somehow I managed to both undercook and overcook it at the same time. And what a mess I made spilling it all over the oven!

Beckham tried his very first solid food during dinner. I figured Thanksgiving would be a perfect time for that! The flavor? Pumpkin, of course! He kept grabbing the spoon from me, already wanting to feed himself.

Emily and my parents stopped by and dropped off tons of goodies as they went around the suburbs delivering food to everyone. Later in the evening we did a Sullivan family Zoom meeting.

And just how all good Thanksgiving meals should end, Jackson (and Luc) passed out on the couch.

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Status

Heeeellp

By • On • In Kids • 1 min read

First Jackson refused a nap. Then Beckham refused a nap.

Then I came downstairs to find Jackson “making dinner.” He had mixed together a 1 lb container of salt, an entire container of vegetable oil, and a Costco-size bottle of vanilla extract. 

Then, rubbing it in even more, he turns to me and says, “Why is Beckham awake?”

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Cool dude

By • On • In Kids • 1 min read

I think I found my new calling! Decorating baby helmets, lol.

There are places you can take them to for a custom design, but I just found stickers on Amazon (I believe the listing said it was for tween girls haha) that would work on water bottles, laptops, etc.

Out of the huge pile of stickers, Jackson picked out his favorite ones and then I stuck them on the helmet. After he lost interest, though, I was the one working hard on it all night long!

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Which way to the instruments

By • On • In Kids, Pandemic • 1 min read

There’s a guy a few streets down from us who has been putting on a little bagpipe concert in his front yard since COVID started for the neighbors to enjoy. I kept finding out about the dates after they happened, but then finally I learned about an upcoming show. Of course the day of, I remembered too late and rushed out the door to try and make it, but by the time we got there, it was over.

Me: “Sorry we missed it!”

Jackson: “Don’t worry, Mommy. We can drive and find other instruments.” 

Me: “I’m not sure where to go.”

Jackson: “Turn left.”

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Too good to be true

By • On • In Kids • 1 min read

I got Jackson all ready for a nap, and he was super cooperative (unlike normal!) and very much on board with this idea. Tucked him in, said goodnight and closed the door. He said goodnight and actually stayed in bed for once.

What is happenning??!

I sit down on the couch and then two seconds later he comes walking down the stairs saying, “Well that was a short nap!” 

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Pandemic baby

By • On • In Kids, Pandemic • 1 min read

Don’t be fooled — he didn’t actually drink any of it. And still never has taken a bottle! I never would have thought I could have survived that, but here we are.

Apparently this actually is a trend with pandemic babies — they’re not taking bottles because their moms are all at home!

At this point we can probably just skip right to sippy cups (hopefully we’ll have better luck there). But I had to pump today for a clogged duct. It was the very first time using the electric pump — also totally unbelievable, considering he’s 5 months old. That’s partly because I never go anywhere, but also because I was so turned off from when I had to pump right away at the hospital with Jackson (and pretty much any time thereafter) that I purposefully avoided it as long as possible.

The kicker is I got a new pump this time and it was actually pretty comfortable! Much better than my last one. Too bad I won’t need it, haha.

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Sleeping like a baby

By • On • In Kids • 1 min read

I’m so relieved to not have to worry any more about which direction his head is turned while he’s asleep! And no more trying to flip him to face the other way at the risk of waking him up!

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The ugly truth

By • On • In Kids • 1 min read

I was reading Jackson his food truck book, which is all about the different types of cuisine in different cultures, when he interrupted:

“Wait! Did you say lamb??? Like this lamb?!” 

(Holds up his favorite stuffed animal.)

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Any color…except that one

By • On • In Kids • 1 min read

I was programming Jackson’s sound machine so that it would change colors once quiet time or nap time was over, and then he’d know it was OK to leave his room. You can do this from an app, so it literally has the whole spectrum of the rainbow to choose from and you can drag the marker all around it to select any shade.

So, I told him he could pick any color he wanted.

“Ummm…. grey!!!!” he said.

Go figure, of all the possibilities, he picks a color that is not an option. I told him he had to pick a new color.

“Brown!!” he said.

Also not on there….

Pick another one, I told him.

“Black!!” he said.

Seriously?!?!?

Finally I said, “How about green.”

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Thanks, Disney Junior

By • On • In Kids • 1 min read

Coming home from our appointment, Beckham was sleeping in his car seat and Jackson started to sing him a lullaby. It was so sweet — until I realized too late what song he was singing. It’s from one of his TV shows and starts out as a soft lullaby but then changes into hard rock music with everyone yelling “Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!”

So sure enough, Jackson started screaming, “Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!”

And sure enough, Beckham woke up.

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First day in the helmet

By • On • In Kids • 1 min read

So far so good! It doesn’t seem to bother him in the slightest. It’s lighter than I was expecting, and pretty easy to put on. He’ll be wearing it pretty much all the time, except for one hour a day. You have to clean it daily with rubbing alcohol and they want you to let it dry for a full hour before putting it back on. But he’ll also have it off during all of his neck exercises at home and at physical therapy. And then briefly at various points just to check how hot/sweaty he is. Luckily we got it in the winter time so hopefully we won’t have any issues with the heat.

I was really worried about how the first night would go. In addition to sleeping with it on, he also could not have his sleep sack, as usual, because the helmet can make them extra hot. But he seemed totally fine with all the changes. He still woke up a lot, but nothing out of the ordinary. I don’t think the helmet bothered him one bit.

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Delayed response

By • On • In Kids • 1 min read

Jackson, in the car: “I have to go potty. I got the funny feeling way down low.”

Me: “Oh! You have to go potty now?”

Jackson: “No. When I was running in the field.” (Like an hour earlier)

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Angel in disguise

By • On • In Kids • 1 min read

While having a picnic at the farm (again!), I was telling Kristine how terrible age 3 is when Jackson interrupted. 

“It’s a beautiful day today, isn’t it Mommy?” he said.

Followed by: “Thanks for driving us here to the farm!”

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Gallery

Another day at the farm

By • On • In Kids, Pandemic • 1 min read

This time it was Klein Creek Farm, and I couldn’t believe this was my first time ever taking Jackson. It was so perfect for him. Free, not many people and lots to explore. He absolutely loved running around with the free roaming chickens!

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