Da Da Da...

Those are the words flowing constantly from Jack's mouth these days. I'm not going to lie I was a little sad he learned his D sound before his M sound. I'm sitting here watching him get so fascinated that there is a teething apple on the end of his block. He will bite down on something and then shake his head like a dog. I don't know if that is normal or he just hangs with dogs to much. He is so loud. He started crawling this week. He crawls army style but mainly uses his arms. I'm not sure if life as I know it is over or just beginning, I'm still trying to figure that out. He is so funny and now that his teeth are more out his little grin is awesome. His curiosity is very evident. He examines everything and everyone. He has gotten clingy this week too. He will start to fuss if Matthew or I walk out of the room. He loves Baby Piano on my phone, it is a great app because you can lock it where they can't get out of it. He still won't eat food with texture. So, anybody that has suggestions on this let me know. Jack loves his bath time and loves to have his face splashed. I can't wait for warmer weather to take him swimming. I tried putting up the banana video but I guess since it is on my phone the file type won't work. I threw in a picture of Judd at the end!

Grace

We have been doing a women's bible study over the book "What's so Amazing about Grace." It has been a great study for me to get myself outside my little bubble. I often have a hard time seeing the other side. Living in a small conservative town makes it easy. Now that I'm a mom it seems grace is sometimes hard to offer when it comes to my child. Yes, he is only 8 months old but there are still times of criticism. The biggest one has been all the view points on how to raise him, should I stop breastfeeding when he hits a certain age, when do you introduce new foods, do we keep him up to late, etc. I have had such a problem dreading on the things people say is the right way. I love that everyone is entitled to their opinions but what bothers me the most is when someone tries to push that opinion on me. This study has really given me the opportunity to step back, take a deep breath and move on. I hope to start trying to live my life with this philosophy in mind. Judge the sin, not the sinner! I know it is going to be a really difficult task but I really want to learn to live outside my bubble and welcome those that feel unwelcome.

We're Back...

Wow, it has been awhile since my last post. I would like to say we've been busy as my reason for the long absence but really we haven't been busy at all. Jack has changed so much in the last 2 months. He is sitting up, scooting backwards, has his first tooth, eating food (except bananas), and talking non-stop. I haven't really caught his talking on video because the minute he sees the camera his lips become glued together. He is a funny little guy. Matthew and I are constantly walking up to him and saying "AAAHHH" to scare him. He thinks it is hilarious. I am beginning to think he will start greeting people like that one day. He loves watching his cousin Judd run around the room he will laugh at that every time. He and Lucy are beginning to fight over toys, well really Lucy takes his toys from him and then he gets all mad. I will try to be better about posting but we actually do have a pretty busy spring. Wishing you all a joyous lenten season. May you all have the opportunity to reflect on the many blessings we each have thanks to our "Risen King!"



I have a video of him trying bananas but it is on my phone so, I'll try to post it later.




Oh yeah, Matthew is the one who got him all messy.

Heartbeat

A year ago today I saw our little guys heart beat for the first time. It was so surreal to me because I still was in shock that I was actually pregnant and that I was going to be a mommy. This year has been the fastest year of my life. It seems like I looked up and bam it was December. Matthew and I have been overwhelmed with the blessings 2010 has brought us. We are so thankful to be near our family and friends. Jack has grown so much in the past month. He loves laughing at Matthew and I. It is a race as to who gets to pick him up in the morning because he'll always greet you with a smile. He talks all the time. He has started on rice cereal this month. We are taking it slow but he seems to really enjoy it. He had a growth spurt since his last check up. At his four month check up he was 14 pounds and 24 1/4 inches long. He is such an easy going kid. He loves to watch Judd and Lucy run and scoot around the house. It won't be long and he'll be chasing them I'm sure. Looking forward to the new year. Many Blessings to you all!

3 months and counting...

We can't believe our little Jack is growing so fast. He has changed so much in the past couple weeks. He is now laughing, talking non-stop and trying to sit up on his own. We are amazed at how much he recognizes us and will smile the minute he hears our voices. Matthew keeps trying to show him how to crawl. I don't think I am quite ready for that yet. The best times are when we are driving to my sister's house in the mornings and I'll turn the music up to my favorite song and you can hear his voice pipe up. We go for his 4 month check up the first week of December so we shall see what his stats are then. He has definitely started filling out some of his clothes. We hope you all have had a great start to a beautiful fall.

One Month

Jack and his buddy Judd!




This past month has flown by so fast. Jack has been growing like crazy. He has been such a great baby. We have traveled to Waco with Julie, Judd and Lucy. Yes, we were probably crazy doing that but they were all great. We have also gone to Canton and stayed our first night away from home. Our good friends the Olivers live near Canton so, we went up the night before to not make the travel to much for Jack. Thanks for letting us invade your space Joe and Dicque. His cousin Judd is in love with him. Judd talks to him all the time when we are visiting and comes running if he hears Jack cry. My favorite story of Judd's love is when he was helping (watching) me feed. He asked ever so nicely "Can I have some milk?" While trying to keep a straight face I said "No, this is for baby Jack." His reply "Ah, Bummer!" You have got to love the mind of a 2 and half year old. We also attended our first Tuesday sale at the livestock barn. He loved being carried around by Mikki and then the two of us both passed out in Grandma Barb's office. He got to meet all of this GG (Great Grandma Courtney) family and attended his first dove hunt. He is starting to smile a little and cooing. He still looks just like his daddy but has my eyes. His hands are almost as big as mine. Luckily for him maybe that means he didn't get my height. It has been quite an eventful month for us.

Jack Ellison Domel

Jack has finally arrived. He was born at 5:22pm on August 1, 2010. He weighed 7lbs. 12ozs. and was 20 1/4 inches long. He is everything I dreamed about perfect in my eyes. I was entering my 41st week of pregnancy and was getting a little impatient. I started having back labor on Friday at work. I left early came home and rested and the contractions subsided. On Saturday I hadn't had any contractions so my mom, sister, Ashley Bell and I took a quick trip to Waco that afternoon. At about 11:45 I started having contractions about every 7-8 minutes. Not believeing I was actually in labor we didn't make our trip to the hospital till about 3:00 Sunday morning. I got to the hospital and was admitted. We waited till 8:00 to call our family. Since, he was face up I struggled to progress and with my small frame he would not have fit through the canal. I was dilated at a 6 from 8 till about 4:45 when we decided to go back for a c-section. I know many people don't believe in having cesarean births but when the time comes you will do whatever it takes to protect your child. It was such a relief when they held Jack up for me to see. It was the greatest moment to see his perfect face. Matthew was such a great supporter helping me through my contractions and holding the tray while I threw up. I could not have had a better partner through this pregnancy. I can't believe it has already been a week.