Interesting Things We Didn't Know Last Year ...

I recently read an article on the BBC News website that listed 100 things we didn't know last year. Did you know:

• there are 200 million blogs that are no longer being updated
• the lion costume from the Wizard of Oz was made from real lions
• each person sends an average of 55 greeting cards per year
• more than 90% of plane crashes have survivors (ha ha - to all you Lost fanatics)
• watching television can act as a natural painkiller for children
• a domestic cat can frighten a black bear to climb a tree

Some of these are specifically british, but there are some very interesting findings on this list also. And yes, there are links to more information on each of these, so you can research further to decide if you find them to be true or not.

Here's the link if you're interested - http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/magazinemonitor/index.html#a007948

A Big Day ...

Today is Sam's 1st birthday! I can't believe it's been a whole year. He's grown so much and learned so many new things. We'll be having a small party with the grandparents this weekend at the house. It'll be Sam's first taste of cake and I can't wait to see how he likes it!

Here are a few pics of him playing around the house. He's quite the crawler - and he just started last week. He'd like to be walking, but his balance isn't quite ready yet. It'll be soon enough I'm sure.

The New Digs ...

We're closing on our house next week - Nov. 15th - and we can't wait. Apartment living isn't as fun when you're old and have a family. The sound of someone else's stereo blaring through my walls is annoying rather than an invitation to party. And I really don't enjoy hearing my neighbors argue (reality tv has ruined the excitement for me) or their phone ring at 2 am. As you can tell, I'm well on my way to crotchity old woman.

We plan on staying in this house for a long time and feel like it's a nice house in a really nice neighborhood. So for those of you that are interested, here is what the new place looks like:

And check out this backyard:

Will post more pics when we get in and the movers bring our things.

My Boys ...

Aren't they cute?

Hair Loss - For A Good Cause ...

As many of you know, I have been growing my hair out for the past 3-4 years. My intentions have always been to donate this hair when it's long enough - well that day finally arrived this past weekend. Actually, I was going to wait until next spring but just couldn't hold out that long. So this past week I went online and picked out the lucky new hair salon - Salon 54 (I read some reviews on salons near the new house and picked one that I thought would do well without charging too much). I made an appointment for Saturday but was still thinking that I'd just get a trim to make sure my new stylist could cut the mustard before giving her full reign on my new 'do. But when Saturday arrived, I was really ready for a change. So I went back online to hairdos.com and chose the new style I thought would be cute. Off I went to Salon 54 to let Jean work her magic. Here are a few before shots:

I really wasn't as scared as I appear in these pictures. On the contrary, I was very excited. Jean was very nice and seemed pleased that she would be able to do something more than a trim for a change. The salon owner quickly got his camera and took some before pictures of his own. Then I pulled out my pictures of the style I wanted (yep, I had front view, right view, left view and back view - didn't want any confusion about what I wanted her to do). Jean was also happy that I knew what I wanted - it takes the pressure off of her when trying to guess what I'm talking about when trying to explain a hair style. She pulled my hair back into a ponytail, measured it to make sure there was enough (you have to have at least 10 inches of hair and it has to be bound) and started whacking it off. Then she got me shampooed and started shaping up what I had left. Here is the final result:

And there you have it. When I get sick of the short hair, I'll start growing it out again for donation. It's a great, free way to help kids with cancer. Here's the website if you'd like more info - Locks of Love.

Born To Ride....

Sam got a new toy this weekend. We're trying to help him learn to walk since it seems like he'll be skipping crawling. This toy converts from the car you see below to a walk behind. He seems to like it so far.

A Big Hello To Ya....

Sam has recently learned how to wave. He's clapping his hands also. It's so cute I thought you'd like to see:

A Lot Has Happened In Just 2 Months ...

I must apologize for not keeping this updated the past 2 months. I've been a bit busy though. Here's what's happened (the condensed version):

• We put our house on the market
• We went to the Outer Banks for a week vacation
• We sold our house while on vacation
• We made several trips to Raleigh, NC to look for a new house and jobs
• We put an offer on a house
• We put in our 2 weeks notice at our jobs
• We retracted our offer on the first house and put an offer on another house
• We quit our jobs
• We got the contract on the 2nd house
• We got new jobs and a temporary apartment in Raleigh
• We packed up a few things and moved to Raleigh
• We closed the sale on our VA house
• We started our new jobs

Pretty fast for major life changes, huh? Actually we've been thinking about moving for a few years - just didn't decide on Raleigh until we were pregnant. The timing wasn't right then but once we got settled in with Sam, we knew it was time to make a change. We really want to live and raise our kids in an area that has less traffic, less crime, lower cost of living and a slower pace of life. Since Raleigh has all of that, plenty of IT jobs, good schools, good shopping, good food and is only 2-3 hours from some really nice NC beaches; then we decided that this would be the place for us.

We still have quite a bit going on for the rest of the year since we aren't officially finished moving. We still have to close on the sale of the new house and move into it - which will be on November 15th. So that will require more packing - but only of the stuff that we brought to the apartment - and LOTS of unpacking - which will include everything the movers have in storage from the VA house and all the stuff from the apartment. That will probably suck - but at least we'll have Thanksgiving off to try to get a little settled in.

If you would like my new contact info - just send me an email at jennybbrown@gmail.com and I'll get it to you. I don't think it's very smart to post it on a blog.

Hope you are all doing well and I can get to see some of you more often now that I'm back in NC!

6 Months And Cute As Ever ...

We got Sam's 6 month pictures taken on June 11 - but it takes a few weeks to get them back and another few weeks for mommy to get her butt in gear and scan them in to post on the blog. I want to apologize for the quality - the scanner at work is old and in obvious need of a tune-up - but you get the idea:

Don't you just love those dimples? I sure do!!

Compare & Contrast ...

I hear a lot of people stating that they think my son Sam looks a lot like me. I beg to differ. Yes, he appears to have my hair color and my eye color - although his eye color can still change. But the boy is just like his daddy! He's got his crooked smile (which is adorable on both of them!), his nose, his hands, his feet, his big legs, and his silly sense of humor. So I thought I would post some pics and let y'all compare for yourselves.

Sam at 7 months

Jenny at 10 months

Ok, so we are both fat babies - but really, what's going on with my melon? It's huge! Thank goodness Sam is much better looking!!

The Happy Family ...

I meant to post these pics back in April, but have been pretty busy. Anyway, here are pics that were taken in March - when Sam was 3 months old.

We'll do 6 month pictures in June - so hopefully I'll get those up before the end of the summer.

My 1st Mother's Day ...

This past weekend was my first Mother's Day. We didn't celebrate last year because Sam was just another kidney bean in my belly. I must say that my first Mother's Day was pretty great. I got breakfast at Krispy Kreme (which we've been staying away from since I can't seem to shake these last 20-30 lbs.). Then we came home and gave Sam a bath - which he loves. He really enjoys splashing around and making his own bubbles! Then we played for a while and just enjoyed the day at the house waiting for when Sam's grandparents came to visit.
Sam gave me some wonderful gifts for our first Mother's Day. They included some beautiful flowers, a funny book about how bad parenting advice was in the 50s and an electric toothbrush that I've been wanting. He is such a sweet little boy!

And as an added bonus, he did really well when we tried to feed him some rice cereal with a spoon that evening. He didn't like it very much the first time, but this time he seemed to enjoy himself. He would even grab the spoon of cereal and cram it into his mouth to help me. It was so cute. We took some good pictures and a little video.

Notice how much is on his face and bib. He still needs some practice keeping it in the mouth and swallowing - but the fact that he's trying to help and didn't start crying really makes me proud.

Here are some recent pics of Sam - one with his grandparents and one with his daddy - they look cute sleeping don't they?

4 months and he's doing great ...

That's right, Sam is 4 months old today. We went to the doctor this morning for his 4 month checkup and he's doing well. He's getting over a cold and has beaten his first ear infection. He's had quite an adjustment since our last visit to the doctor 2 months ago - starting daycare, eating from a bottle every day, fighting off colds and god only knows what other germs from the snotty nose daycare kids, and the changing of the seasons. He is doing well with it all.

Here is how he is developing. He's weighing in at 14 lbs. 12 oz. and measuring 23.5 inches long. His head is 17 in. in circumference. So here's how he compares to other babies his age: weight - 48%, height - 10%, head - 75%. It's still too early to tell how big he'll end up being, but he's 100% healthy and 100% good lookin'!!

The doctor said that we can start him on solids when we think he's ready. Since he gobbled down his cold medicine, we'll probably give it a try soon and see how he does.

I've added a few recent pics of the handsome fella for you to enjoy.

To the kids born before the 80s ...

You're not as cool as you think you are! Recently I received one of those emails making fun of how parents today make more of an effort to protect their children from accidents and illness. You know the one that makes you feel like you're better/stronger/smarter than the kids today because you didn't have the luxury of car seats and immunizations. While this email may make you feel good about your parents and possibly your own parenting, there are a few things that this email has overlooked. I'd like to point them out to you now (it's a bit long, so please take a seat):

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO WERE BORN IN THE 1930's 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's !! First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they carried us.
If your mother smoked and/or drank while she was pregnant with you - then you were most likely born at a lower birth weight, have respiratory problems, and/or learning disabilities. It's her fault you're stupid/asthmatic/prone to illness.
They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.
We also had more cases of polio, hepatitis, rubella and other diseases for which we now have vaccines.
Then after that trauma, our baby cribs were covered with bright colored lead-based paints.
If your crib was painted with lead based paint - you probably sucked a bit off when you were teething. No it didn't kill you, but it did kill some much needed brain cells.
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking.
Since childproofing wasn't popular - there were more accidental poisonings and more cases of kids fingers getting caught in drawers and such. You probably have a few more scars because of such accidents also. I know I have more than I should.
As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags.
I remember riding in cars and trucks with no seat belts. I also remember the kid next to me in my mom's car flying forward and cracking her windshield with his head because she stopped short. Women drivers!
Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.
There was also the time I saw my friend Bo, who was riding in the back of his dad's pickup when they were hit by another car, go flying into the street. Luckily he only ended up with some bruises and scratches.
We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.
Looking back on this, I can only imagine how many dogs and cats peed on that hose before I put my mouth to it - YUCK!
We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.
Even as a child, I didn't share a drink with any kid with cold sores. Yes, you won't die from a cold sore, but do you really want herpes of the mouth?
We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank soda pop with sugar in it, but we weren't overweight because...... WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!!
We just learned bad eating habits for when we got older and more sedentary.
We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on. No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K.
We also lived in neighborhoods where everyone talked to each other and you knew who to avoid. But today we have more reported child abuse and abductions - so much more that they've created Amber & Adam Alerts along with Oprah's Most Wanted Child Molesters.
We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.
We never built a go-cart, just rode bikes and skateboards. But I can remember running stop signs at the bottom of a big hill that wasn't a very smart move; especially the time I got hit by a motorcycle while riding my bike.
We did not have Playstations, Nintendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 99 channels on cable, no video tape movies, no surround sound, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or Internet chat rooms..........WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!
We had Pong and an Intellivision in my house and we finally got cable and a vcr when I was in high school. But we still had friends that we played with often because the games just weren't as cool as they are now.
We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.
But we have scars, arthritis and falsies that we might not have received if we had played on a playground with a soft base to fall on. Personally, I fell from a 10 ft. slide as a 3 yr. old and busted my chin open. I had to get 10 stitches and still have an ugly scar from it today.
We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.
I didn't eat worms or mud pies - but I do remember making a mud pie at around 3 or 4. My mom's cooking may not have been the best, but it was definitely better than worms or mud pies. I do remember eating a penny once - don't remember pooping it out though. And I did take a taste of cat food when I was 6 - it wasn't as great as the cat made it seem. Oh, and I also ate watermelon seeds as a kid and didn't have a watermelon vine growing in my stomach.
We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays,made up games with sticks and tennis balls and although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.
Now this one really brings me back. My brother had a BB gun. He used it to hunt squirrels and birds with my dad. He also used it to shoot me in the chest when I wouldn't move out of his way and he shot the neighbor kid in the eye just to prove that he had good aim. The day he used my father's rifle to shoot the grocery store sign - while people were shopping - was the day that my parents finally realized having guns in the house was not a good idea and removed them.
We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just yelled for them!
This was nice because it forced us to get some exercise to see if our friends were home and available to play. It also gave my mom some much needed respite from our constant bickering in the house. Although I'm sure my neighbors didn't appreciate the kids yelling outside to see if Tommy could come out to play.
Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!
Personally, I like this one too and wish they still did this. I understand that you want your kid to be praised for his or her effort in said sport/activity. But kids also need to learn that you don't always win or get what you want. In the real world, people have to deal with losing and rejection on a daily basis. Kids need to have the proper coping skills introduced to them at a young age or they will continue to act like babies well into adulthood. I'm sure you know a few adults like this. Someone smart once said to me - Life is about disappointment....oh yeah, it was my husband.
The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!
But now, with the help of video cameras, we can truly see that not all law enforcers are upstanding citizens of our society. We know that we may need to question authority when they take their power to levels not intended by our laws. This is the American way - well, it was before W took office (UGH). And really, all this did was create mistrust and resentment of one's parents - is that anyway to have a healthy relationship with your child...not to trust what they tell you?
This generation has produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!
We've also produced some of the worst criminal minds ever - think Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer, Theodore Kaczynski (the Unabomber), Dick Cheney, and the many factory/postal workers who lose it every year and start shooting up their coworkers.
The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas. We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL! And YOU are one of them! CONGRATULATIONS!
That's right folks - the cynic is back. Did you miss me?

Mr. Sam

I know you want to see how handsome he is, so here's a recent pic:

Ain't he the cutest baby you've ever seen? (the correct answer here is YES)

Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, It's Back to Work I Go ...

Well, I officially started back to work on March 6 and I must say - it's not as bad as I thought. I picked a week when all of our execs were in Vegas at our national convention to make my debut - that was the best decision I've made in a while! I got to wear jeans and tennis shoes all week - and my workload was relatively light. This week they are all back, so I'm getting loaded up again - but I'm glad I had the first week to catch up on emails and such before the onslaught of mediocre tasks began.

Here is a list of a few things that I DON'T miss about being back at work:

• Rush Hour Traffic - it still sucks the big one and the roads are still full of idiots that can't drive. If I'm not being cut-off, some fool will have an accident causing major backups and delays that will double my commute time.
• The Wind Tunnel - my office is in a trio of buildings that create a magnificent wind tunnel effect. This is quite nice on a steamy hot summer day. But when it's 40 degrees and precipitating, it's a pain in the arse. Yesterday I was literally being pushed by the wind. You'd think the extra 30 lbs. I'm caring around would have me more grounded - this wind is very strong.
• Idiot Bosses - my direct supervisor is cool. We trade jabs about our favorite college basketball teams (I like Duke, he likes Maryland - poor guy). But there are other bosses in my office that are complete idiots. You know the ones that give you the most asinine tasks to do and then 2 weeks/months later completely forgets and asks for them again. Or the ones that ask you to research something and then doesn't believe you when you tell them what you found - so they ask one of the office men! And my all-time favorite -- when they ask you for a report that they desperately need (which takes you days to complete) and then they just use it as refuse. UGH!

But it's not all bad. Sam is doing really well in daycare - they LOVE him....but that's probably due to a combination of him being adorable, sweet and the new baby in class. It freaked me out a little until I asked another daycare mommy and she reassured me that they do this with all the kids - especially the new babies that are as cute as Sam.

And I'm really enjoying having some time to do something other than mommy-stuff. It's nice to be able to finish something I started and to get down to the gym to try to work off the rest of these baby lbs. It also makes me really enjoy the nights and weekends with Mr. Sam. I'm not so anxious to pass him off to his daddy now that my time with him has decreased.

I Think I've Got The Hang Of This Mommy Thing ....

Ok, I probably don't really - but I feel like things are going so well right now that I must be doing something right! I was able to shower today while Sam slept - usually I have David watch him. Also, Sam didn't scream during tummy time and actually rolled over for the first time! And I've been able to get a little housework done recently. I feel like things are coming together finally. It only took almost 3 months - ha ha!

Of course all the mommies say that as soon as you think you've got a routine going, Sam will have a growth spurt and it will change again. Since he starts daycare next week and I go back to work the following week - his routine will get a change at that point whether we like it or not. Until then, I'm going to enjoy thinking that I've got it all figured out ;)

10 Weeks And Counting ...

Well, Sam is 10 weeks old now and he's getting bigger and more active every day. I can't believe that just 3 months ago he was still in my tummy making me eat everything in site.

Recently, Sam has realized that he has hands. He's started to reach out and bat at toys and grab things - like mommy and daddy's shirts. He's also a lot more vocal - and I don't mean the screaming. He's making all sorts of coos and gurgles and baby talk these days and it is absolutely adorable!

It snowed this past weekend. We got about 8 inches - a lot more than we thought, but pretty close to what the weather guys were predicting. Wanna see some pics? Snow photos (please keep in mind that the last 5 pics are from a snow in January 2005)

It's a 3-day weekend for the working folks this weekend, so we're looking forward to loafing around with daddy for an extra day! And for those of you that haven't seen him lately - here are some pics of Sam.

Better Late Than Never ...

I know it's been 2 months since my last entry and for that I apologize, but I have a good excuse. Samuel David Brown was born on December 6, 2005 at 6:03 pm! That's right, just after I posted my last entry - my water broke! I was quite surprised since I wasn't having any contractions....they started shortly thereafter though. For those of you that haven't had a baby - contractions HURT! Don't let the Lamaze classes fool you - breathing through the initial ones is tough. I don't know how ladies go through having a baby without any drugs - I barely made it to 3-4 centimeters!

Ok, so here's the story of the birth process - it's in 3 parts because it's kind of long. Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 .

And here are pictures of our little boy - they are posted with the most recent ones first.

He's 2 months old now and doing great! You can always check our Family Website if you want to keep up with how we are all doing. It's updated more often than mine these days. You wouldn't believe how little free time you have with a new baby in the house.

I'm still enjoying my maternity leave, but will be headed back to work in March. I'm not exactly looking forward to leaving Sam at daycare, but I know that it will be the best thing for all of us. I'm sure it will be harder on me than him.

Well, I'll try to post more often now that Sam and I have a little routine down. So keep checking back every so often for updates. Until then, hope you are all doing well and that your kids turn out to be as cute as my little Sam ;)