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Travis was good enough to update the blog the other night and then I rudely posted the pay it forward post. So, make sure that you scroll down and see what my cute husband wrote!

Pay it forward

I thought that this would be fun and that it would force my crafty side to come out!!

This is how it works:

I will send a hand made gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment to this post on my blog requesting to join the PIF (Pay if forward) exchange. Leave your email address , so I will be able to get your mailing info.
All the gifts will be made and posted out 'sometime within the next year'. (I will shoot for sooner than later!) What you need to do in return, is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog. ALL YOU HAVE TO TO DO IS PROMISE TO POST THIS SAME MESSAGE ONTO YOUR BLOG. YOU WILL PAY IT FORWARD TO THREE PEOPLE WHO COMMENT ON YOUR BLOG. I'd love for you to join me! Will you?

I'm not sure what I will send yet, but it will be cute!!!

Talkin' Jack

So, I don't post very often but I thought I'd add something to Misty's blog. When I do, it's usually quite long, so I apologize for so many words and no pictures!

Contrary to this post's title, Jack really isn't "talking" yet, but he's doing a pretty good job communicating in his own variety of Sign Language. For those of you looking to "Talk Jack", here's a translation key:

1. "More" - traditionally signed by tapping one's fingertips together. Jack: clap your hands vigorously with fully extended arms. In Jack Talk, this also means "I want", "give me", and "I like".
2. "Please" - traditionally signed by rubbing one's chest in a circle. Jack: grab your arm with your other hand and squeeze repeatedly. (Misty tried teaching him this one by holding his arm and demonstrating the motion.) In Jack Talk, this also means "I want", "give me", "hold me", "let me do it". This sign is now the preferred sign for Jack trying to get what he wants.
3. "Thank You" - touch your chin with your fingertips and swing your arm forward. Jack: open your mouth, say "Ah" and bop your palm against your mouth making low volume Indian war-cry noises. A variant of this is a single "Bwah" resembling blowing a kiss. Usually said before receiving something, while receiving something, and after receiving something.
4. "Water" - form the letter W with your first 3 fingers and bring to your mouth, extended fingers up, pinky side away from you. Jack: open your mouth, say "Ah" and bring your open hand to your mouth with all fingers extended up and thumb extended towards the body. This also means "drink" of any kind.
5. "Milk" - make a fist, thumb extended up, hold it up and open and close the fist repeatedly. Jack: make the sign correctly, but don't use it more than once every two months, just to frustrated them. Instead, use "Water" and "Drink".
6. "Drink" - a proper sign hasn't been taught. Jack: pucker your lips and make a sucking motion and smacking sound. This usually means "I want to drink want you're drinking whether its from a full cup or a straw, and whether its water or a forbidden brown, bubbly drink, and I will usually spill it on myself and backwash into your drink." Usually accompanied with "Please".
7. "Sleep" - place your palm on your cheek, and maybe tilt your head. Jack: place your palm anywhere on your head -- check, neck, hair, ear, forehead -- except nose and eyes. All are equivalent.
8. "Bye" - Jack: Wave your hand, wrist limp, repeatedly. Said whenever somebody comes, goes, or moves from room to room.
9. "Music" - extend one arm forward and wave the other hand back and forth above the extended arm. Jack: extend one arm forward and wave it from side to side. Also means "let me turn on and hold my lullaby box" and "turn on the radio".
10. "Eat" - bring your closed fingertips to your mouth and tap. Jack: say "Nmnmnmnm", sign "please", yell or shriek loudly, and/or sometimes sign "drink".
11. "No" - present your closed fingertips in front of you, palm towards you. Jack: don't stop what you're doing, and reply back "NNaAAAHnnNaaAH NAH!"
12. "Daddy" - Jack: say "Dadda dada dadadd dadadaddad"
13. "Mommy" - Jack: say "Dadda dada dadadd dadadaddad" or "Nannan nananaan". See also "No".

Jack can also tell you where his "hair" is. Sometimes he will show you where his "nose", "mouth" and "ears" are, but sometimes they're in the same place as his hair. "Hair" also means soft, as in a response to "Ouch, Jack, that hurts; be SOFT" -- Jack's response: "Hair". Jack can also show you "dance" when music is playing, which usually involves bending your knees and bouncing and making "ahAAAHaaahAAAHHhhAAAAAhhh" sounds.

Jack's most commonly used sign or gesture is definitely the "cheesy smile" accompanied by the sound "Eeeeh". This means "I'm having fun running around", "I'm doing something naughty", or "Look at me!" He likes to giggle and to show his cheesy smile, and, as those of you who have played with Jack know, it's quite contagious.

CHORES!!

I've always believed that it is vital to teach children the importance of hard work and that everyone in the family needs to play a part in keeping the household clean and orderly. I was worried that these things might be hard for a child to pick up, but I was mistaken!!

Jack loves chores! I started making him pick up the food that he drops off of his high chair tray, and now I don't even have to ask! He starts right after I take him out of his high chair!! He is constantly pulling things out to put them back! I love it!

He also loves the vacuum and now takes his turn every time that I vacuum!




I'm sure that it is just a phase, but I am going to enjoy it while I can!!

Home Improvement!

Don't get excited yet, but I am planning some home improvements and am so anxious to get started! This is nothing major, but I am planning on doing some painting! This is very exciting for me as I have never really painted! We are on a smart budget and doing well at moving forward paying off student loans and such. The smart thing about it is that we get a certain amount of "blow money" per month, so that we're not constantly going over and then feeling guilty. So, this is what my money is going to go towards (with some of the "fixing up the house" money).

Look at what I ordered:

I found an amazing deal on this 14 piece bedding set!! I am now in love with overstock.com! So, this will go in our bedroom and I am thinking of painting our room a brownier tan color...maybe two walls...and then go from there with decor.

This is what I am thinking of getting Jack. I am more of a cutesy person, but if you know Jack, this fits him perfectly.

This is where it gets crazy. I am thinking of painting the upper walls the light green color, getting a white wooden border for around the middle of the wall and then using the other colors to paint vertical stripes down the bottom part of the wall. I might just do 2 walls so that it isn't too crazy...Am I crazy? What do you think?

As for the baby room, it depends on whether we have a girl or boy...but I really want to take the colors that we choose and take a wall and measure it off into equal squares and use those colors to paint the squares...I am going to be painting forever, aren't I?? But, I'm so excited!!!

Think positive!

So, one of my goals for the new year is to do a better job at updating our blog. Unfortunately, I have been blessed with this nasty, awful cold that is making me absolutely miserable!! I say blessed because I have also been trying to "count my blessings" and look for the positive in everything. And this morning, I did find the positive in having this nasty cold! I am finally getting over the sick part of the first trimester, but Jack's morning poopy diapers KILL me!! I really struggle with them!! But, this morning...I couldn't smell it! Not even a small little whif!! Yea! I am happy for this wonderful blessing...but I think that I can get better now!