Flashback Friday! *Guest Blogger Edition*

With Jack's Birthday this week, and me being pressured several times to tell this story, I thought it should be told by someone who can truly give the story life.

Today my Guest Blogger is none other than the talented writer L. Shanna

So Sit Back and enjoy The Story of Jack's Birth from one of my best friends eyes:

Picture it:  January, 2006.  Beijing, China.  I am in my mid twenties and my boyfriend and I are lounging on the couch surfing the internet on a particularly cold and smoggy afternoon.  We are still adjusting to life in Asia and missing home terribly, when an email comes in from Heidi.  It is her birth story—Jack’s birth story—and one of the best emails I’ve ever received in my life. 

I read it the first time to myself, doing what I always do when I get an email from Heidi—I pictured her reading it to me, complete with her voice in my head.  (This is very important if you are a friend of Heidi’s since she, like the Chinese, puts great emphasis on tone.)  I was laughing so hard that L stopped to ask me several times what I was doing.  I shushed him quickly and told him I’d tell him in a second.  When I was finished, I told him to sit back, picture Heidi’s voice as I read, and listen:

I starting feeling funny on Wednesday.  Like Crampy.  I had had lunch at the Fish market with my Aunt Ann and told her I felt like I had bad gas….
 She looked at me and smiled and said that that was no gas….
 She was right.  I did not know it but by that night my contractions were 15 minutes apart…..
 I called labor and delivery at 11pm, they told me to watch the time and to take two Tylenol pm and call them when the contractions were closer together…
 By Three am I could not sleep through the cramps I was feeling.  Cramps that came about every 6 minutes….  So I got in the tub.
 Clay woke up when he heard the water running.  He came over to the tub to see if I was okay and he sat down and stared at me.  I told him to go back to bed, because labor takes forever and he would need his sleep since he was still going to work (he was scheduled for OT and we need the money)…
 He went back to bed and I sat in the tub for what seemed like forever.  I finally got out and decided to hop in the shower and shave my legs… - just in case today was the day-  When I got out of the shower my contractions were 4 minutes apart…..  I still figured I had a long way to go…
 I waited until 6 am and called Aunt Kathy to tell her that I thought today was the day.  She had plane tickets by 6:30 and was on a plane by 8 that morning.  I called my Mom and she was on her way from Dobbins in minutes.
 Then I called Gram.  We had both had scheduled hair appointments for that day, mine was at 3 hers was at 7, so I told her to come and pick me up…
 I was not sure how labor was going to go and I did not want to have roots for the next six weeks.  So off I went with Gram to get my hair done.
 My contractions as I sat in the chair stayed at 4 minutes apart until we left….  Then they hit about 3 minutes…. I figured, I still had time, so I told Gram to stop by the other salon I go to and I got my eyebrows done…..
Then I headed home.  I walked in the door, sat on the couch and waited.  My mom showed up, then Kathy then the contractions got closer and closer….
 I called the advice nurse and told her I wanted to wait to come in….when I could not talk to her and threw the phone at Clay during a contraction she informed Clay to get me in there asap.
 So after my mental “ I don’t want to do this “ breakdown in the kitchen off we headed to the hospital. 
 My water broke in the car….  It is the strangest feeling….  Like there is a water balloon in your crotch and somebody bursts it….
 Then the pain really started.  I could barely walk to the elevator. 
 We got into admitting, and I was at 6 cm.
 By the time we got to the room, I was requesting drugs.  Quite firmly.
 Finally I got my epidural.
 I got to the hospital at 12:30, I had my epidural by 1:45 and Jack came out at 3…
 I was pretty lucky.

And that, dear readers, is how a birth story is told.  When I was finished reading it to L, we were both laughing so hard we could barely see.  Once we caught our breath, L’s first words were, ‘Read it again!’

Over the past six years I have referred to this email several times as evidence of why Heidi needs a blog.  Now, finally, she has one.  She also has two beautiful children and a wonderful support system that appreciates her ability to tell a story. 

What she doesn’t have are roots or messy eyebrows.   The girl’s got priorities.

Happy 6th Birthday Jack!

Happy Birthday Jack-Man!!!

Today you are 6.

6. Years. Old. 

I can't believe it.

You have changed so much in just one year.

You are so tall.  I think you may be the tallest boy in Kindergarten...(I'd be willing to place my bets on 1st grade too)

You are so giving, and so so loving

.  You always want to have a good time and you are at your happiest when you are hangin with the boys in the ManCave.  You also love to be out front playing with your friends.  You love everything outdoors.  You like to explore, and play tag, and ride your big wheel.

You are Daddy's #1 sidekick.  No matter where Dad is, that is where you want to be. 

He is your Best Friend.

Mom is okay too, but you reserve your love for her on the down-low.  You will come up to her while she is cooking, and ask for a hug, or  you crawl into her side of the bed if you've had a bad dream, or are not feeling well....and I'm not gonna lie... I love those moments. 

You think Uncle Ben is the funniest person alive, but you love ALL of your Uncles.  You love your Monday's with Aunt Brit, and get so excited when Uncle Justin and Casey steal you away for the night.

Your favorite place on the planet is Chuck E Cheeses.

You love school.  You don't fight me at all to get up and head out the door.  You put your clothes on and  jump in the car.  You even like your Teacher Mrs. Hanebury.

You say the funniest things.  I wish I had a constant recorder on you. 

I am so lucky to be your Mom.  You are one amazing kid.

I often think about who you will be, and what our relationship will be like as your grow....

But I have to stop myself.

I want to make sure and enjoy every minute with you right now.

I hope you never stop stealing hugs in the kitchen.

I know there will be a time when you will no longer crawl into my side of the bed and I know I'll be sad when you won't hold my hand as I walk you into daycare each morning, and someday, you'll refuse to kiss me good-bye.

But for now.

You're still my great big 6 year old baby boy.

And I love every second of it.

Happy, Happy Birthday Jack.

I love you more than you could ever know.

Flashback Friday!

With Thanksgiving just around the corner......

Jack would like to remind you to..

Eat lots of Pumpkin Pie!

(Every time I look at this photo I think of my friend Summer.  I sent this photo out to all my Girlfriends in an email and Summer replied with the comment, "You're a Strange Mommy."  Dude. Putting your child in a carved Pumpkin is completely acceptable....I'm just sayin...)

Our Thanksgiving festivities always start the weekend before Thanksgiving day.  So we are off to have some family fun in Cambria!

Hope your Thanksgiving week starts off with a Bang!

Flashback Friday!

This week marks the end of my Happy Birthday Posts.

I hope you enjoyed them!

:)

I started thinkin...

It's time for something new.

I haven't been blogging long....

Which means two things:

a) I don't have a lot documented that I wished I did,  ie-first steps, first words, family vacations, first Birthdays, etc.

and 

2) I should have listened to Tegan and Roseanne a LONG time ago.

So. 

To make up for lost time, I will start doing Flashback Fridays.

And today is the first Flashback.

Three years ago today I found out I was pregnant with Madeline.

It was a tad different than how I found out with Jack.  With Jack I was peeing on a stick, while talking to a girlfriend on the phone with another girlfriend in the bathroom with me. 

When I got pregnant with Madeline, I just knew.  I could feel it.

I ran out and secretly bought a pregnancy test at Target.

No one knew we were trying.

Well...

Besides Kim.  (I have my reasons)

I took the test at 4am in our guest Bathroom, with only the light from the outside window to see the line appear.  As it started to appear I remember blinking, and bringing the test as close to my face as possible, and then finally giving in and turning the light on, just for a minute to not wake up Clay.  (I wanted to tell Clay in a really special way, and didn't want to get his hopes up if the test was negative.)

It wasn't.

  I was ECSTATIC. 

If you know me....I have a hard time keeping my mouth shut.  I talk to my girlfriends, and Mother, and Grandmother about EVERYTHING.

Keeping something from them is pure torture for me. 

I immediately had to get my plan into action.

I went to a local Maternity and Baby store and purchased a T-shirt that said "I'm the Big Brother".

I was over the top excited.  I couldn't contain myself. 

I blurted out to the salesgirl 

"I just found out this Morning I'm pregnant!"

Sometimes I still can't believe that the first person I told was the girl behind the counter at Bellies and Babies.

(and the girl in the dressing room who over heard us talking and stuck her head out to say congratulations)

As soon as I got home that night, I broke out the camera and prepped Jack.

He could even say it.  

It took Clay what felt like an eternity to get home that night.

He walked through the door, Jack jumped on the couch and said:

"Ine gonna be a brover!"

I will never forget the look on Clay's face.  Shock, excitement, and a little bit of worry all in one.

He looked at me and said 

"Really???"

The next morning I sent out that exact picture to my Girlfriends with the subject title to the email: 

"First Come, First Serve." 

 (We are all kind of territorial when it comes to pregnancy.  I mean...Come on...Who doesn't want to be the first to know!)

I won't say who responded to the email first...

We told the rest of the family over the Holiday's in the same way.  It was fun to see them read the shirt and then watch the light bulb go off.  

(some took longer than others)

 9 months later my daughter was born. 

P.s. That shirt is in Jack's keepsake box...Maybe it will fit his son for a big announcement someday... No pressure  ;)

Madeline's New Pet

When we purchased our home almost 7 years ago, it was fully decorated.

Curtains, throw rugs, wall paper...

That all had to go.

The one room in my house that I made almost no changes to was the guest bathroom.

I loved the coral walls, and the fish theme. 

I did swap out a few items....

But I kept the waste basket.

I hide it in the cupboard in my laundry room.

I keep a small trash bag in it, and that is where I keep my lint.

Tonight, I was emptying the trash in the laundry room.

and I left the trash can on the floor.

Tonight was the first night that Madeline has ever noticed it.

And it was hilarious.

Because the bathroom was Fish inspired, the trash can has water and fake fish that swim at the bottom of it.

Madeline wandered over to the can.  She looked at the side, and then slowly looked in...then back at the side, and then back in.  Her shoulders stopped her from putting her whole body completely into the can.

She ran back over to me.

"Mommy!  Feeeesh!"and ran back over to the can to point out her find.

"You found fish?  How many are in there?"

She put her finger right up to the plastic bottom and started to count.

"Tooooo, Treee, Tooo, Fo!"

"You see four fish?"

"Yes!"

Then she shook the can to make the fish swim.

"Uh Oh Maddie!  They might get sick!"

She stuck her head back in the trash can.
 

"You Kay?" She asked the Fish very concerned.

"Are they okay?"

"Yes!"

"Do you love the fish?"

"Yes!  Feeesh watch Calliou!"

And she carried them downstairs.

Jack was not as impressed with Madeline's new "Feesh".

So..

Madeline has her very own pets.

Guess I'll have to find a new trash can for the laundry room

Welcome to Kindergarten!

Today was the day.

The First day of Kindergarten!

We were very excited.


Yesterday we had our Meet and Greet with Jack's Teacher.

She was very nice.

We tested the facilities

inside and out.

We were READY!

So you can imagine my surprise when I had to bribe him out of bed this morning.....

He reluctantly got in the shower when we told him he was going to have a "special" breakfast with Daddy before his big day.

And....

He was excited to put on his new Back to School outfit.

*side note* As you grow up, you never really know what traditions from your upbringing will stick and what won't.  Sometimes you think your Mom is crazy, and then you find yourself doing the same things she did.
One of those things that has stuck is that my Mom always had us lay our clothes out the night before.  It's quite the time saver!  I still do it to this day....(I  have even rubbed off on Clay..)  So of course...we laid out our brand new "Back to School" outfit.  

Which brings me to another tradition.

Back to School shopping.
Growing up I LOVED Back to School shopping.  So when we were emailed the Kindergarten supply list I couldn't WAIT to get to Target and buy those supplies.
AND
New clothes for School.
  I always looked forward to August and the purchase of socks, and underwear and new Jeans and shoes....and...well you get the idea...

And Jack believe it or not, is more Heidi than Clay in this area.  Jack is a fan of new clothes.  And the occasional "Look at what we bought at the store today" fashion show. ( I knew I was in there somewhere..)

Jack requested his favorite turkey and cheese lunch be put in his new sandwich holder.

Off we went!
*tradition #3*  Annual school photo on front lawn.
(I secretly loved this tradition growing up....i'd groan and moan, but they are some of my favorite photos to look back on)

We wanted Jack's first day to be like all of his days to come, so he started in Daycare.

He lined up immediately and got right into the routine.
I was SO proud.

Clay and I probably stayed longer than we should have.  We were talking to his new daycare provider.....and when he noticed we were still there, he ran over and asked if he could go home with us.

I had been so strong until that moment.  I started to think about how much change he is about to go through.  New people, New places, New schedules.  I felt terrible.

I explained that this is just were he had to stay until he would go to his fun new classroom and see his new teacher.

He looked up at me with his huge tear filled eyes and asked "How many minutes until I see my new teacher?"

I looked at the clock and said "50 minutes"

He put his head down and said "Okay...." and then quickly looked back up and said "and how long until you come and get me?"

My eyes immediately filled with tears.  I couldn't speak. I felt awful.

Clay quickly said "Well be here at 3 buddy! You are going to have the best time!"

Jack thankfully had not noticed my tears.  He seemed pleased we would be coming back for him, and satisfied that only 50 minutes stood between him and Kindergarten. He turned and got back in line.

I knew it would be hard to see him off to Kindergarten, but I didn't realize it would be as tough as it was.  He seemed so grown up today.  Ready for anything.  I felt like he no longer needed me.

He was a now a Big Kid.

and then for one quick minute, there he was....my baby...needing my reassurance for just a moment.

3 o'clock couldn't get here fast enough today.  I was so eager to hear how his day went.

When we walked up, we were greeted by this face

and this:
"Mom!  It was AWESOME! You don't have to take a Nap in Kindergarten!"

And that was that.

Jack loves school.

Since today was Jack's big day we told him we would take him where ever he wanted for dinner.

I guess the First day of School really does call for the Golden Arches.

Congrats Jack Man!

And it begins....

Today was our first All In One.

For those of you who don't have a child in school...

This means...

Teacher assignments, Schedule Assignments, Cub scouts, PTA, Parent Participation sign-ups, etc. etc. etc......

Which means....

We officially have a Kindergartner!

He starts Tuesday and I can't believe it.

Today we rushed to make it to our specified time slot.  Clay and I both took the day off.

As we walked up a Woman with a name tag that read Natalia or Nazi....I'm not sure...stopped us and asked, "Are you here for All in One?"

"Yes!" And I started to pull out our paperwork to prove how prepared we were...

She immediately stopped me.  "Oh...well...we just started Lunch soooo.... Lunch should be about an hour, but you can wait....Is this your first time?"

Wait!  What?  I read all the instructions, I was so prepared!  Wait??!!!  I'm ON TIME. This is CRAP.

(All of that was on the inside of course.  Clay and I looked at each other and made the Husband-Wife eye contact agreement, and got in line.

Wait.
 For One Hour.
 Perfect.

We stood talking for about 3 minutes before our Savior came.

My wonderful neighbor Claudia ran up.  She was a Veteran and was running late.  She looked at the two of us like we were fresh off the boat.  "What are you guys doing out here???  It's in there!  Come on!"

"Claudia- Natalia told us to wait here.....It's Lunch..."

"Lunch!  No way. Hold on..."  And she ran past us.

Natalia quickly resurfaced.  "Are you guys with Claudia?"

Clay and I both nodded-"Why yes!  Yes we are!"

"You can come in...."

And In we did- straight to the front of the line.  Hooray!  We had an IN!  And it's only Day ONE!

We were in and out in 20 minutes.

We must have been asked 47 times if this was our first time...

Clearly we were Newbies....

Here is Mr. Kirbyface patiently waiting for our Teacher assignment...
(Who we met by the way, and I'm pretty sure she has been teaching since I went to Kindergarten, and possibly since my Mother went to Kindergarten.......but that's a story for another time...)

We may or may not have gone a little overboard at the School Spirit table....

Have I mentioned we're new......


After our Adventure in Elementary

 We "treated" ourselves to Lunch.
(I use the word treated loosely since I'm still trying to get my Skinny On....*grumble-grumble*DAMN WEDDING*grumble-grumble*)

And since we had the day off together...

.....and Groupon had a special....

Pedicures!
2 Pedi's for $18.
Sea Salt and Foot Massage included!
I love GROUPON!


We were very excited about our new attire.

When I tried on my vest (that's right...I bought the vest..shut up) Clay turned to me and said "You look old."  I gave him the -I'm gonna kill you look- to which he replied- "You know what I mean!  You look like a Mom!"

Awesome.

He quickly followed that with....

"I can't wait for your Den Mother outfit."

OMG.

Den Mother.

I AM old.

I'm so not ready for this!

But wanna know who is???

Jack-Man!

Stay Tuned.....

Our First, First day of School is just around the corner!

Yes Jack-man! There IS a Tooth-Fairy!

Well....

It happened!

He had had enough, It was driving him crazy...Just hanging there....

and then with the help of Dad....

it came out!!

(with only a little blood-and NO TEARS!)

He was SO Excited!  

And SO BRAVE!

We have our toothless Grin!

:)

He very happily put his tooth under his pillow, and went to bed.

And as we heard his little feet enter his room and shut his door, we both immediately started searching the house for cash.

We had  NOTHING.

Clay and I both never have cash on us.  

I even called Lynne next door and asked her if she had a dollar-

Clay had to run up to 7-11 and get some cash back!

But it was worth it, this morning when Mr. Jack-man found his gift from the Tooth Fairy

(Even if it was just 1 dollar)

It didn't matter to him in the least.  To Jack it was the same as $1,000,000.

Love that kid.

When did he get so big?  It really does sneak up on you.

We're ready for Kindergarten!

This weekend was a very exciting one for the Kirbyface Household.

Jack had his Pre-school Graduation.

Here's our Little Man excepting his certificate from his teacher.

(Please note-as Jack calls it-this was a Jumpy-House Party- *please excuse my child's bare feet- he does own shoes*)

We are so proud!!

Jack's teacher goes all out for this event.  It's her end of the year Thank You for all of her parents and students- present and past.

Needless to say it's a packed house!

Here are all the Graduates this year.

They did a performance for the parents.

Led by Ms. Benu

(most adorable performance ever)

Lemme tell ya.....

Ms. Benu knows how to throw a party!

The food....OH MY LORD the food.

The butter chicken.....I could bathe in the butter chicken.....

So so so good.

Jack's Grandparents joined us for the event.

We are so thankful for Benu and all she has done for Jack.  We are truly Blessed to have been introduced to her.  She is an amazing Teacher.  

And we are SO SO SO proud of you Jack-Man!

Look out Kindergarten!  Here comes Jack!

Don't eat that, Do eat THIS!

We found very early on with Jack-man that he was a spirited child.

Clay being a spirited child himself, and me coming from a family of energetic boys, I knew there was help for us.

We realized that diet controlled his level of energy.

Jack has always been full of life, very energetic, enthusiastic and spirited.

But when he ate certain foods, these traits became magnified to the point were we found ourselves helpless to his outbursts and waves of "out of control"- ness.

My Grandmother found The Feingold Diet for my Uncle when he was young.  She had the same challenges that Clay and I found with Jack.

My Grandmother introduced the diet to my Uncle and noticed immediate changes.

When my Brother was born, My Mother found herself in the same position.  She implemented the diet for my brother and she too saw immediate results.

When Jack turned 3 we were having trouble with daycare.  Our Daycare provided pointed out that Jack was much more energetic than the other children, he was having difficulty concentrating on one task, and was taking her time and attention.  

That is when we really started to put all our effort into helping Jack in any way that we could.

Both my Mother and Grandmother suggested the diet to me. 

My next challenge was trying to make a believer out of Clay.

Here are the basics of the diet.

Nothing artificial.  Nothing.

At first it's A LOT of work.  Walking the aisles of the grocery store.  Reading Label after Label after Label.  But that's what I did.  I remember calling my Mom from Safeway completely frustrated that there was nothing without artificial flavoring and coloring. And to top it off, everything that I found that was on the program was 3 times the cost of items that were artificial.

Once I had the kitchen stocked, there was no choice for Clay but to see the results.  

It was immediate.  The high energy, and not listening, and the acting out, stopped.

and then.....

if we slipped, and he had something he shouldn't.....

The change was immediate.  

We had trouble disciplining, he wouldn't listen, the outbursts.

He was frustrated. We were frustrated.

I brought the diet to his school.  I provided the snacks, and a list of what he could have and what he couldn't.

Clay quickly became a believer.

It has made such a huge difference for us.

I have shared the diet with some friends, and they have seen results as well.

A lot of my friends eat all organic, and that's great. 

But this isn't about organic.

It's about All Natural.

So even if you think organic is hog-wash....

This is not that type of diet.

Nothing holistic.

There's no sacrificial Lamb.

It's just reading labels and being aware.

So here is my easy cheat sheet for you, from my few years of experience with this diet.

#1.  If it is sold at Trader Joe's.  It's okay.

(EVERYTHING they sell is All Natural.  The entire store.  I always let Jack get whatever he wants, because truth be told....it's not the easiest on him.)

#2. Every product made by Pepperidge Farms is okay.

(that means, all the Goldfish products and cookies and crackers are okay! Even the colored fish are colored with Vegetable extract.)

#3.  If its Organic and Whole Grain, usually that label is okay- including Safeway's "Eating Right" brand.

#4. Here are the words on the labels to stay away from: 

 Artificial.  A Color followed by a # (Like Yellow #5 and Red  #6.  Vanillan- not to be mistaken by Vanilla.  Vanillan is artificial. Annatto coloring is okay. 

To make it easier on us we have a specific cupboard that is just for Jack in our Kitchen. I keep it stocked with items specifically on his diet so when we have people come over to babysit, it's easy to tell them to only let Jack eat out of his specific cupboard. 

It's also easier for us.   

Now that Jack is old enough, he can get his own snacks, and he knows EXACTLY which cupboard to go to.

Here is Jack's cupboard:

Some of our go-to's include:

Kraft Deluxe Macaroni and Cheese (not regular) Only the Deluxe and the Whole Grain are All Natural

Cheerios(Multi-Grain, Regular, even Frosted are okay)

Pepperidge farm Goldfish(any type)

Ritz Crackers (the crackers only- The Ritz Bits are NOT okay)

Plain Rold Gold Pretzels

Regular Cheez It's

Krusteaz pancake mix- regular and wheat

We only use Pure Maple Syrup

Only real Butter as well.

Capri Sun- Any flavor

Sprite or 7 Up or Sierra Mist 

Reeses Peanut Butter Cups.

Trader Joe's Cheese Filled Crackers

Anntie Anne's Bunny Crackers

Auntie Anne's Fruit snacks

Yoplait Vanilla Yogurt

Dole Real Fruit Frozen Bars
Hebrew National Hot Dogs
Dino-Nuggets (it's true!)

Of course the Normal items are okay- Cheese, Milk, Tortillas, Eggs, Bread, Meats, Fruits, etc.

Here is an example of a product we would NOT purchase:

This has it all- die, artificial, coloring.  

All Jell-O products are a big No-No in the Kirbyface household

I have found myself coming up with alternatives to some of Jack's favorite items like Jello-

Luckily I enjoy cooking....

so I make Cakes and Cookies from Scratch....

and I found this Jell-O like recipe (thank you Ina!)

It's a little more effort-but SO worth the results!

Here is an example of a product that we WOULD purchase

It's all fine!

Good Ol' Pepperidge Farm!

Now that we got the hang of it, it's second nature.

Don't get me wrong....We aren't angels...

There's always Birthday parties, and Holidays, and Amusement parks......

And sometimes....

When we make the decision.

Jack goes off the diet.

But we are prepared for the consequences, and understand that it's not Jack, but his body reacting to the chemicals. 

I know this diet isn't for everyone.

It's just worked for us.

And My Mom...

And My Grandmother...

:)

If this post in some way helps even one person out there, then it's worth it.

But most of all

This guy is worth it.