Tumbleweed

So this morning Tom and I were taking down our Christmas tree and Jack was laying on his blanket playing. We were busy untangling the lights and boxing up the ornaments while Jack was playing with his new lobster toy. Then we noticed that Jack was about 3 feet off of the blanket and we realized that he most likely just rolled over for the first time and WE MISSED IT! ARGHH!!! I've been watching him intently every time we lay him down on his back because he's been so close to rolling over. How much of a little turd is he that as soon as both of us aren't looking, he finally rolls over? Hahahhaha. He's now our little tumbleweed. I can't wait to see him when he starts crawling. It's so amazing to me that this tiny little person is so strong and determined. He is the most incredible thing! Have a great New Year everyone!!

Jack's First Christmas

Well, Jack's first Christmas has come and gone. He had a great day. Even though I know he had no idea what was going on, he seemed to have fun. He helped his dad open all the presents. He was completely fascinated with the sound of the wrapping paper, and of course he shared all his toys with Sadie. Sadie got 2 new rope toys, one with a tennis ball attached, she also had a great Christmas. We will be celebrating our big family Christmas in Feb or March when we get back to the states.

Jack has a habit of waking up in the morning with a HUGE smile on his face. All you have to do is say "good morning" and he lights up. I thought I would video this and share. It really is the best way to start a day. He has the best smile!



We hope you all had a great Christmas and we wish you all the best in 2008. Tom, Jack and I will be hanging out at home for New Year's. Germany celebrates New Year's Eve like we celebrate the 4th of July. People over here set off fireworks in their back yards that are definitely illegal in the states. I just went to our local grocery store, that's right....grocery store, to buy our fireworks this year. Hahahahaha. I spent 15 euro on this pack of 10 rockets. They're about 4 feet long attached to a huge wooden stake to plant in your yard. It's like an ultimate bottle rocket. We're very excited! :-) So wish us luck that we don't send one through our neighbors window or one of our cars. It should be great!!!

Have a great 2008!!!

Thunder Thighs!

Jack had his 4 month well baby check up today. He's in the 50th percentile for everything. He weighs 15 pounds and is 24.5 inches long. He flirted with Dr. Garde the whole appointment until she checked out his ears. He was not a fan of that! He's right on track for a 4 month old. Then we got 3 shots. He's really good about getting his shots. He screams for a minute then he's done when you pick him up. He's a tough little guy. The nurse who gave him his shots was really nice. She said he was a good size for a 4 month old, I said, "Yep, he's our little porker" That's what I call him, he's a good eater. She then told me, "he's not a real chubby baby but he does have some THUNDER THIGHS". I told her it was all muscle. :-) hehehehe. Poor Jack he's got the thunder thighs. I couldn't even argue with her, she was speaking the truth. He has to have good thighs though for when he's playing baseball and catching like his daddy.

We've been working on our cereal eating skills as well this week. Since his hands flail about as though they're independent from his body ("Friends" reference) it's a very entertaining meal. Next time we're going to try some duct tape. Just kidding. He eats the rice with no problem now. I actually think he likes it, even though it has the taste of wet paper. He even leans in for more when he sees the spoon heading his way. He really likes to help guide the spoon into his mouth. As you can see in the pictures. If anything is within reach of him, it's getting grabbed, no hesitation. :-) In two more months we get to try the green and orange veggies. Isn't that appetizing??

Well, I'm off to make my Christmas cookies....

Jack and Sadie

Well Sadie and Jack are well on their way to being the best of buds! Hehehe. Sadie loves teasing Jack and Jack loves grabbing at her hair. He just stares at her when ever she walks by him and he loves it when she chases her tail and growls.

Jack is becoming more and more active. He reaches for everything, nothing is safe. His new favorite things are the flag on Tom's uniform, my hair, Sadie's tail and the microphone toy on his exersaucer. Every time he moves the microphone it sings "Babba Do Waaaaa". I hear it so much it's in my dreams now. hahhaha. We're still working on rolling over from our back to our belly. We're getting close but those shoulders just keep getting in the way. They're his own little speed bumps.

Tom and I think we conquered the bottle issue we were having. Tom read somewhere to try latex nipples. Sure enough, it worked. The ones we were using were silicone, apparently they just weren't cutting it anymore. It's crazy to think that just one day Jack decided silicone wasn't for him.

Tomorrow Jack has his 4 month well baby check up. I can't wait to see how much he's grown. He no longer fits in any 3 month clothing and he's filling out his 6 month things as well. He has a little Buddha belly. It's so cute! He's chewing on anything he can fit in his mouth so I don't think his first teeth are too far off. I'm sure they'll decide come in right as we're on the plane flying 8 hours home. :-)

We still haven't heard anything about our orders yet. We were really hoping to hear something by Christmas, I'm still optimistic though. Cross your fingers for us!! We'll keep you posted!

Happy Holidays!

Well, at the moment both men in the house are napping. We went to the Schweinfurt Christmas market today. For those of you have never been, it's all these little shacks set up in the market place in the center of town selling just about everything from bratwurst and roasted almonds, to kitchen gadgets, socks and anything else the Germans just can't get enough of. There really isn't a lot of Christmas items, it's just a bunch of random stuff really. There are much better markets around Germany compared to Schweinfurt's, but this one's local. The main reason we went downtown today was for Tom to go Christmas shopping for Jack. There's this great German toy store called Teddy Bear that has a ton of Haba toys and hand painted wooden toys. The store is really cute! So Tom got Jack a few really cool toys. We also met up with Meagan. She very kindly let us park in her garage since we would have had to wait at least a half hour for any type of parking space. Downtown was insanely packed. So we tooled around town with Meagan and Jack, ate some brats and the highlight....a Nutella crepe with bananas. YUMMMMM!!!! That's is the best thing going at the Christmas market.
Jack did really well while we shopped. He was all bundled up, mittens and all. There was a scary German lady who was stalking him in one store. She kept shoving a stuffed monkey in his face, but he handled her. That's my boy! He's been going through a little fussy phase this past week. He all of a sudden decided that he no longer likes taking a bottle. This poses a little problem since I REFUSE to breastfeed in public. I'm sorry, but I'm just one of those people that can't do it! The other problem with Jack not taking a bottle is leaving him with a babysitter (Meagan) for a few hours. Tom and I had a Hail and Farewell on Thursday night. This was the last social event for Task Force Guardian (Tom's Rear-D Command) so we both wanted to be there. Tom got him to take a bottle right before we left @ 5:30pm, but that was it. Bath time is around 7:30, then he eats and goes to sleep. He wouldn't take a bottle for Meagan so he tuckered himself out and fell asleep without eating. Talk about a stubborn kid! Wonder who he gets that from?? The weird thing is last Saturday Tom had him all day while I was shopping in Poland and he took a bottle for each feeding - no problem. So in a matter of 5 days he completely changed his mind about how he wanted to be fed. It blows my mind. I'm thinking Meagan was missing her earplugs that night. The other battle we're fighting now is him napping in his crib instead of his swing. He has no problem going to sleep in his crib at night, and he's sleeping through the night without any issues. He just will NOT sleep in his crib during the day. We pull the shades down, we play the mobile, we make the crib vibrate, we do the "pick up/put down" method....and we're striking out. I'm up for suggestions from all you other moms out there....any advice?? He naps in his swing, his car seat, even in the exersaucer, but not in his crib. Otherwise all is well. Jack hit the 4 month mark yesterday. We have his 4 month well baby appointment next Friday so I'll keep you all posted with how he's growing. He's busting out of his 3 month clothes so I know he's at least longer. Well...until next time! Happy Holidays!

Poland Baby!!!

So Christmas is right around the corner. I almost can't even believe it. Time is flying by and I can barely keep up. My shopping is no where near done and I'm starting to worry that I'll be wrapping up pictures of all the presents that I buy for Tom. (Our mail room is really backed up and things are taking forever to arrive)Tom doesn't have to worry about shopping for me though since I took care of that yesterday. This year Tom gave me a no limit shopping spree in Poland. YEAH! I know Polish pottery isn't for everyone. The first time I went shopping for it I had a headache looking at all the crazy ugly patterns myself. However, I've grown to LOVE the stuff. So yesterday Meagan and I left Massbach at 5am, we got to Poland around 9:30am and shopped until 4pm. It was soooo great! One of the stores had my pattern for 40% off, this was HUGE! hahhahhaha. Needless to say, that place no longer has any green and blue pottery. Aside from getting great deals and completing my collection Tom spent the whole day with Jack. How sweet is that? Jack doesn't have his passport yet so we would have had to leave him at the border if he came with. I missed my boys yesterday. That's the longest I've been away from the little kiddo ever. Jack was sleeping when I left and already in bed when I got home. Tom had full on Daddy duty. He told me he understands why I want to get out of the house. hahhaahha. Tom said that at one point during the day he was on the phone with his commander while he was holding Jack and Jack let out this huge scream. So Tom said, "Sorry sir, I'm babysitting"....His commander said..."You mean parenting?" :-) That is what it is now...Parenting. We're parents. I think it's finally starting to hit both of us. We've been going non stop for the past few months. You don't have the time to think about it, you just do what you have to do. Tom and I are parents. Holy crap! :-) I couldn't imagine life any other way now. What did we do before Jackson? Other than sleep late? heheheh!
As for Jack....he amazes me with something new everyday! He discovered his toes this week. It's so funny. Keeping his socks on has become an Olympic event now. He just grabs on to those little toes and rips those socks right off. I think our new catch phrase is "Don't eat your sock!" Jack will grab the toe part and stretch it to his mouth while the sock is still on his foot. He's very determined as you can see in the video. :-) Tom saw yesterday that he's getting close to rolling over from his back to his stomach. He said he grabs both feet and rocks back and forth. I guess it won't be long. I can't believe how happy Jack is. He even wakes up with a smile on his face. Last night Tom even mentioned that it's his favorite thing. When he wakes up and you go into his room to get him as soon as he sees our faces, he just lights up with this gigantic smile! I never knew I could feel so loved by the flash of a smile! It's great!

It's December Already

I can't believe it's already December. I know it's not good to wish time away but I hope the next 3 months fly by like the last 3!! I'm way too anxious to get back to the states. Germany has been great to us for the past few years, but we're ready to move on to the next place. I cannot wait to see my family, for them to meet Jack, to go shopping, to pay for gas at the pump, to get a Dunkin' Donuts' hot chocolate, to eat a slice of Roma pizza, ya know the little things! :-) I really could go on and on!! It's going to be a crazy move too when it finally happens. We'll have to go through all of our things and decide what the bare minimum will be that we can live with once they ship our household goods. We're hoping that happens as soon as possible! Then we'll ship our cars and we have to ship Sadie as well. I'm not sure if we're going to take her to the airport with us or ship her with a pet shipping company earlier. I'm nervous for her, I hope she tolerates the plane. Actually I hope Taja, my parent's German Shepard, tolerates her as a new roommie!! I know my aunt Lisa is already calling dibs on Sadie just in case. hahahaah.
I guess now that it's December I have to get a jump on my Christmas shopping. I have a few things for Jack, he's easy to buy for. It's so much fun shopping for baby things. Tom's getting harder and harder to shop for. Especially when I ask him for ideas and all he can tell me is that he wants orders. See, once we get orders from the Army we can pick a date to ship our things, buy our tickets to fly home, and get ready for an international move. Once we get those orders I'll have a lot of stuff to write about. So everyone out there....send your good vibes this way, we want those orders yesterday! We're hoping by Christmas that we'll know the where, when and hows of our future. Orders would really be the best Christmas present!
Here's a quick little video of Jack. He's all about laughing now, even if it's fake! hahahah. If you laugh at him, he'll laugh back. And his feet are super ticklish. He's so entertaining! He's also becoming obsessed with Sadie. His eyes follow her everywhere and he gets this biggest smile on his face when she wags her tail. He's easily amused!

Not a fan of the rice......yet!

So my son is a bottomless pit. He has a very healthy appetite so Tom and I decided to try to help out his hunger pains with some super yummy rice cereal. He's 3 1/2 months old and some may think he's too young to be eating rice cereal but everything I read says that you can't judge it by age, you have to go by development. He can sit up, hold is head on his own and he leans in when foods comes his way. These were all positives in the beginning of the rice cereal decision. Of course, as a new mom, the Internet has become my worst enemy because there's just too much information out there. Everything contradicts everything. Half the sites said to mix the rice in his bottle, the other half said that this is a big "NO-NO". After taking the motherly advice from my mom we decided no rice in the bottle, we're going with the spoon. After reading more this seems like a better decision. So we tried our first taste of rice cereal via spoon and Jack just wasn't having it. Babies have this natural reflex to push unknown objects out of their mouths to prevent choking, we saw this reflex in full effect. Babies are even cute when they're making the biggest mess EVER! We tried a few times, thought we were going to get a spoonful in that little mouth but then came the temper. And oh my what a temper! Jack hardly ever cries, but when he's mad, he's MAD!!! There's high pitched screaming, all the blood rushes to his cheeks and he turns this lovely lobster shade of red, which is followed by more screams, grunting and snorting. Of course I had to take a picture of this temper tantrum, that's what mothers do, right? So we weren't exactly loving the cereal but we'll keep trying. Hopefully we'll get some down soon, I just don't think the "juice" is enough anymore. The kid's a "whutzer". (According to Tom, me and my family are the only people he's ever heard utter this word. Whutzer?? I have no idea if I'm spelling it right or even if it's an actual word. Is there anyone out there that can back me up or am I creating my own words again? That was a pregnancy symptom. Can I say "dramatitize"? I must of used that word a hundred times)

Sadie is definitely warming up to Jack now. I don't even have to fake her out by hiding a milk bone under Jack's arm anymore, she goes to him willingly now. These are big puppy steps for Sadie. I love that she's starting to get curious and wants to love him too.

VICTORY!

Have you ever played "spore cubes"? You can go to http://www.net-games.biz/online-games/Spore-Cubes.html My mom got me hooked on this computer game when she came to visit Jack when he was born. I've been playing this addictive game almost everyday since September. It's a really quick game. Whenever I check my e-mail or get a free second to surf the Internet, I play spore cubes. The object is to eliminate all the colored cubes. You can only click on the groups of the same color. I have gotten close MANY times, with having 3 or less cubes left. I finally beat this stupid game yesterday! YEAH! I got Tom hooked on it too. Of course in the first few times that he played he got down to 1 cube left, but he hasn't won yet. HAHAHAHH! I was so proud that I left the screen up so I could show it off. Now I have to find another annoying game to get hooked on....THANKS MOM!!

Our Thanksgiving was great, we hope you all had a great Turkey day as well. We ate at the Dfac as planned. It worked out really well because when Jack and I arrived to meet Tom we ran into the Bickleys. Ryan just got back from Iraq a few days ago. It was great to hang out with him and his wife, Jen, again. Of course the BEST part was that they held Jack while we ate. I can't even tell you the last time that Tom and I got to eat a meal at the same time without having to entertain Jack in the process. It's usually a toss up to see who's going to cut up all their food so they can eat with one hand and hold Jack with the other. Plus there was lobster. I don't even think we had turkey. It was a really nice Thanksgiving. We're looking forward to next year when we'll get to be with family again.

Right now Jack's trying to cope with his first cold. The poor kid! He's all stuffy and congested and every time there's a sneeze you need to put up a blast shield. You're bound to get hit with something green and slimy. He really hates the nose sucker bulb. At first when he saw it coming he thought it was a bottle and was ready to eat. It only took a few times until he realized it wasn't what he thought. That's become our new battle. Plus he's learning how to dance all over the place when you're trying to change his diaper. It's actually pretty funny! Well, speaking of the little devil, he's now awake from his nap and not so happy. Gotta run....duty calls.

Rollie Pollie Jackson

Jack rolled over for the first time on the 19th! YEAH!! He rolled over 4 times in a row, with no problem and no screaming. (every time since, there's definitely been screaming involved) I was so proud. I called Tom at work. He was really busy, but he humored me. He was proud too. :-) When Tom came home, Jack just wouldn't cooperate so his dad could see his new talent. So yesterday I was on a mission to catch him on video. I guess he's getting better and better at rolling over because I missed it twice trying to get the camera started. Anyway, I managed to get him on film. So here's our kiddo rolling over. I know it may not look that exciting, but it really is. :-)

Chatter Box

Well it's Thanksgiving week. The only thing I'm planning on cooking is a pie. I don't have the best track record when it comes to turkey. I blame the weird German convection ovens....That has to be it!! :-) One year it took me almost 8 hours to cook a 12 pound turkey. So in keeping with tradition, we'll be eating at the 1-77 dining facility. Tom gets to dress up in his blues (the fancy uniform) and serve on the line for turkey day. It's a really great time. All the families usually go and this year it'll be really special since all of the soldiers are returning after 15 long months in Iraq. It should be great.

Being over here as long as we have we've gotten used to the fact that we're away from family for the holidays. It's still pretty crappy, but it's how it is. It's been amazing living over here but I'm so glad this will be our last German Thanksgiving. It's just not the same without family making fun of everyone, busting jokes, picking on each other and tormenting the kids. Isn't that what family gatherings are all about? :-) Since we're not able to be there in person we'll miss all the fun. So instead I'll call my grandmother's during the afternoon and the whole family plays pass the phone. I have a huge family, so it's a long phone call. Hahaha. I hate not being there. I hope they're ready for us next year! Jack will be far more impressionable then. Can't wait!!

So the latest with Jack....he has discovered his voice in the past few weeks. He loves talking. The catch is, he likes when you talk to him. If you don't answer him back he stops and gives the strangest look. It's so funny. I was finally able to catch him on video. YEAH! Every time I turn on the camera he gets distracted. I guess today he just felt like carrying on a conversation and being a ham. I wonder what he was really trying to say....hahaha. He's also starting to like his exersaucer. He can activate a few of the musical toys. He then spins his head around trying to figure out where the music is coming from. His little legs go crazy so he bounces all over the place. He seems to like it. We're still working on rolling over. I'll keep you all posted....

I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving!

Hot chocolate and a haircut...

I've come to find that the simplest things in life can bring you pure joy!!! Jack of course can make me laugh at any moment. I can be in the worst mood, completely exhausted and stressed, and all he has to do is flash that huge happy smile or giggle and it all melts away. That is an obvious pleasure in life. Today what made me happy was my new hair cut and a cup of hot chocolate. You see I haven't had a hair cut in many months. I usually get it cut when I go to the states to visit, that last happened in May. I'm very picky with who I will let cut my hair. Thanks to Meagan, I found someone that is great. The fact is after having a baby you walk around feeling like a blob. At least I have. Body parts are all misshaped, things aren't where they used to be, and even though I know it's impossible to lose all the baby weight in a week, I'm always hopeful. :-) So you need to find things that will make you feel good about yourself. For me it was a hair cut. And that cup of hot chocolate hit the spot because it is FREEZING over here in Germany. We had snow the other day and it flurried today. I'm not ready for winter but at least I have plenty of hot chocolate. Yummmm!


On another note....Jack is 3 months old today. I believe he's getting a growth spurt for this little birthday. He's been sleeping a little longer and he just can seem to ever eat enough. At least I think it's a growth spurt. Anytime there's a change in his schedule that's what I blame it on. It's sounds good anyway. Tom and I tried giving him formula last night for the first time. I'm afraid I won't be able to keep up with his eating habits. Needless to say....the faces were priceless. I can't believe I didn't take any pictures. It was like he was sucking on the world's most sour lemon. He is not a fan of the formula. It took about 30 minutes to get down a half ounce. Hopefully we won't need to resort to the formula. (This however has given me a whole new respect for dairy cows.)


Happy Wednesday everyone!

The latest...

Everyone is doing great over here in Massbach. Jack is getting so big, I can't believe it. He's about 14 pounds now and almost 24 inches long. He's becoming more and more aware of what's going on around him. He started reaching for things and his grip is really strong. He loves looking at himself in the mirror, Meagan can back me up on that one. He's getting close to rolling over. He teeter totters on his Buddha belly, gets soooo close then the temper hits and it's all over. He definitely has a temper too. Not sure where he got that from....hahaha. If he's hungry he lets us know for sure. Those cute little whimpers have now turned into a full out shrieking scream. Once he sees the bottle coming, he's back to his happy self. My new favorite Jack thing is how he has conversations with us. If you talk to him, he talks right back. I love it! Tom can even get a good giggle out of him by tickling his feet. That is the best sound in the world. He is definitely a wiggle worm. When he plays with his Kickin' Gym he's all over the place. When he's getting a bath, he pushes himself off the end of his tub and comes pretty close to launching himself right out of the water. He loves to stand on our lap and bounce up and down. It's amazing how strong his little chubby legs are getting. He's a great sleeper and a great eater. I am so blessed he's such a great baby. I am totally spoiled with him.

As for the latest with Tom and I.....we're patiently or impatiently waiting to hear from the retention board. For those of you who haven't heard yet....we're staying in the army. I know, I know...who wouldda thought? The army put out a retention bonus for captains with 5 options. We chose to take the option that lets us change our branch. If everything goes as planned, we'll no longer be armor, we'll be ORSA. Tom is really excited about it and if he's happy, I'm happy. There's a lot of great opportunities in ORSA and I think the jobs Tom will have in the future will better fit him. So anyway, we should hear what our future will be like by the end of this week. Cross your fingers for us. If everything works out like we planned Tom will be in Ft. Lee, Va. for the ORSA career course in March and Jack and I will be hanging out in Pottsville. (I can't wait to be around family again!) The ORSA course is just for Tom, he goes unaccompanied. Jack and I will then move on to where ever Tom will be next, then he'll join us in July. It's exciting and good to know...strike that... almost know what's in store for us. We've loved living in Germany and traveling, but we're ready to be in the states again. Anywhere in the states. :-)

Tom is staying busy with work. Most of our soldiers from 1-77 are returning home this month. It's so great to see everyone with smiles on their faces again. 15 months is just way too long to be away from the ones we love. I went to a welcome home ceremony yesterday. It was for about 200+ guys and I was completely overwhelmed. I had tears in my eyes. It was a crazy wave of emotion. As for me....I start a few more classes next week. That should keep me busy, or busier. Otherwise I'll be trying to get ahead of our move back to the states. I have a feeling it's not going to be so much fun. Well, Jack is now hungry so duty calls.... until next time...

Starting the blog....

Hello everyone. I thought I'd start a McMurtrie blog. This way it may be easier to keep you posted on what's new in our world, that is if you care. I figured you wouldn't read it if you didn't....anyway. Now that Jackson is here my time is limited. Responding to e-mails, which I wasn't the best at to begin with, is getting harder. Everyone has so much going on in their lives and I completely understand that writing back and forth isn't always the easiest task to find time for. At least that's how it is here. Well.....hopefully this plan works....enjoy the "Murtie Memoirs"....