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"....