Trick or Treat!!

Well it's that time of year again! The time when parents go crazy to dress their kids up as some cute but unrecognizable character or cartoon. Alas, I am no exception. I must admit that I was so excited to get the kids dressed up in their costumes and go out to trick-or treat and see the decorated houses in the neighborhood. The great thing is that Miles is finally old enough to really participate in the Halloween activities and Savannah is to young to complain about the costume I picked out! Clearly, Wes and I are living vicariously through the kids - we certainly had more fun than either of them did (although Miles was a close second and Savannah actually fell asleep!). I mean Miles wouldn't even go up to anyone to say "trick-or-treat - I think he really took that whole "don't take candy from strangers" thing very seriously (he actually listens when I talk - who knew!)

And another thing - I honestly, I never knew how popular Spiderman was for a Halloween costume. There were 3 of them in Miles' class and there must have been at least 2 dozen or so out on the street on Halloween night. But in true male fashion he didn't care the someone else had his outfit on :-)

And FYI - Savannah was a bumble bee - not the butterfly or a fairy as people kept mistaking her for! I was actually a little put out that people didn't recognize my hard work in getting the bee costume together - you wouldn't believe how hard it is to get black tights on to a squirming 5-month old!!

Teething Already!

For some reason I thought I'd have plenty of time until I had to deal with teething. I feel like Miles didn't start teething until he was about 6 months but I guess every child is different. Anyway, this teething has turned my normally laid back child in to a terror! As long as you feed Savannah she's usually pretty chilled out - to date she hasn't been a fussy baby. But I guess her budding teeth are just so uncomfortable that she has to make the rest of us uncomfortable as well! According to her pediatrician we'll all just have to suffer through it. At least now she has figured out how to get her entire hand and some toes in to her mouth for some temporary refief. And the funniest part is that Miles has learned how to turn up the volume on the TV to drown out Savannah's crying!! Gotta love it!

Tummy-Time

Here are some pics of Miles joining Savannah on the floor for some tummy-time. It's great to have Miles as a helper - as you can see he's always game to crawl around on the floor and help Savannah find her way. Two weeks ago we found out that Savannah can actually turn over from her tummy on to her back! Wes and I were so excited about this new development but Miles couldn't figure out what the big deal was - as he told me - he turns over all the time!!

Savannah's latest developments

Savannah tried cereal for the first time this week! Once again we broke out the ever famous high chair so that my baby-girl could have her first bit of solid food! As excited as I was about it I have to say that it was a bit anticlimatcic. Miles wanted to know what Savannah was doing in his old high chair and Savannah seemed to just be okay with the whole cereal thing. There was more cereal on the bib than in her mouth but she seemed content to indulge Mommy's enthusiasm for the whole experience.

Transitions...

Well life is full of transitions... from very early on we learn to deal with them and keep on moving. Well Miles Boogie had a very important transition occur in September, which was his 'graduation' from his old class at daycare. Miles has now moved in to what we call "the big boy room" - he has some new classmates and a completely new set of teachers. I have to say that this was a very difficult adjustment for him at first but like most kids he is very resilient and is handling it like a pro. He went from crying and clinging to my legs as I tried to leave to barely having time to give me a kiss and say 'bye mommy' as he pushed me out the door!

But you know it wasn't just Miles that had a major transition - Mommy had one as well. In addition to dealing with the stress of wondering wether Miles was okay in his new class, Savannah also started at the same daycare. All the teachers and the director joke that I'll be the one who needs the most help with dealing with all of these changes!!! And I have to say that's proven to be true. While in essence Savannah's transition to daycare was easier than Miles' (after all, as long as I leave some food and pampers she's all good!) My reaction to leaving my 3-month old baby at daycare was nothing short of catastrophic for me. All the tears and guilt had me feeling like a walking, babbling mess! But alas, we all got through it relatively unscathed and everybody seems happy with the new arrangement. I wasn't totally able to let go of Savannah (she's home with me a couple days a week) but our situation is working for us right now. I guess I've lived to fight another day - or at least until the next major life transition for the kids!

Finding Time...

Is it me or are there just never enough hours in the day!! I mean sometimes it seems like we re just running from one appointment to another and not really stopping to enjoy life... When you have kids keeping to a routine is essential but sometimes that routine can be suffocating - I mean you get up, get the kids dressed, feed the kids, get yourself dressed, walk the dog, hurry to get the kids to daycare, go to work, work straight through lunch, pick up the kids, hit the park on the way home, walk the dog (again!), give baths/ put on pajamas. cook/eat dinner, put the kids to bed, take out the garbage, fall asleep on the couch and then get up and do it all again the next day!!!

Whew!!! It's no wonder that we're all beat!

I'm baaaaack!!

Well, as my husband has so helpfully pointed out I have been remiss in my blogging duties. Honestly, it's been so tough just keeping up with everyone and I've been so sleep deprived that whenever I have a spare moment I go to sleep!! But I think we've finally found our new rythm and I'm back in effect now!

Both of the kids have grown and changed so much over the summer and it amazes me just how fast time has passed. Miss Savannah Bea is looking like a real little girl now and Miles Boogie is a miniature version of his Dad! They both make life so interesting!

Some pics for you all

Since Eb has been slacking on her posting duties. Here are some pics from this summer.
Some from Hilton Head, and Savannah, GA.
Savannah trying to hold her big head up
Mile and his cousin Little Carl
More to come

My first "child"...

It occurred to me today that I have been very remiss in talking about our first "child" - who just happens to be canine - Roxy! Everyone asks how Roxy is doing with the new addition to the family and I have to say that she is probably handling it the best out of everyone (And I can definitely say that she is the only one able to get any sleep since Savannah's arrival!). For the most part, Roxy ignores Savannah - and would probably ignore Miles if he would let her! If I have Savannah sitting on the floor she will occasionally wander over to check her out and give her good face licking!! But Roxy has become adept at finding hiding places around the house to get away from the kids and I'm sure she's looking forward to having another messy little kid around that will inevitably drop some food for her!

Daddy's Little Girl & Mommy's Big Boy

Well it seems like the age old dichotomy of the Mother/ son & Father/ daughter relationship has manifested itself already. It's no secret that Miles and I have a special relationship with Miles (it's been that way since the beginning) but what is surprising is that even though Savannah is only 8 weeks old she's beginning to show signs of favoritism towards her Dad! Now don't get me wrong - I think it's great that Wes and Savannah are close but I guess I just wasn't expecting their special relationship to form so quickly. Whenever she hears his voice she will turn her head towards him, she'll sit quietly in his lap, stare into his face and and falls asleep on his chest. It's very touching and beautiful to see and I'm thankful that Savannah will have her dad as strong role model- but she rarely does those things with me and I must admit I'm a little peeved :-)

But at the end of the day, I really can't complain...I've got Miles - and he loves his Mama!!!

Savannah is 8 weeks old today!

I can't believe that eight weeks have passed already - maybe it's the sleep deprivation but time has flown. I often marvel at how much she has changed in such a short period of time. From a skinny little 6 lbs 12 oz newborn with her pamper falling off to the chubby little cherub I see looking at me today! Thank goodness for pictures and video. If you don't capture the memories today they'll be gone before you know it!

Meet the family

As you can guess Savannah has already charmed the pants off the entire family. While my folks met Savannah almost as soon as she arrived, Wes' folks weren't far behind. In fact, Wes' dad actually drove through the night all the way from North Carolina to surprise us by showing up at our door one morning - how's that for dedication!!!. And recently, at a family wedding in Baltimore, the extended family got to hang with Savannah and Miles. This was Savannah's first time meeting her great aunts and her cousin (Miles' partner in crime), Malaika. Suffice it to say a good time was had by all!!

Savannah's got some pipes!

Much to my neighbors' chagrin, Savannah can get pretty loud and she doesn't care who know's it. Miss Lady can be very demanding, especially if I'm too slow with the food :-) Here she is in all her glory!

Miles as a big brother

Miles is a great big brother! He has really fallen in to the roll effortlessly and I'm so proud of him. He helps with feedings, finds Savannah's bo-bo and sings her songs when she's crying. I was reduced to a sobbing mass of motherhood when during one of the feedings he asked "Mommy, does Savannah love Miles?"

In The Hospital

Savannah and I really got to know each other well during her first days in the hospital. This is where she first earned her nickname "sleep-n-eat". While I was glad to finally go home I will miss the 24-hour nursery which provided the last bit of uninterrupted sleep I'll ever have!

"Boogie" Meets "The Bea"

Probably more important than meeting her parents was the first sit-down with Miles Boogie. We had been speaking with him for months about Savannah's arrival but I was still anxious about it. As usual Boogie has handles it like a pro - his first words when he walked in to the hospital room as he reached up his arms were "I want to hold her!"

Since then Miles has been a great big brother. He always wants to hold and help feed Savannah - and he never hesitates to find Savannah's "bo-bo" and stick it in her mouth when she starts crying :-}

Savannah has also charmed the rest of the family - her grand parents, aunts and uncles all adore her.

Savannah's Arrival!

At 4:30am on Monday, May 28, 2007 I woke to an intense pain in my lower abdomen. I woke my husband and told him "Get the stop watch - We are going to have the baby today". After viewing the moment of sheer panic on my husband's face I decided to go back to sleep since I was still tired and had a couple of hours until Miles Boogie would wake up. Almost 12 hours later at 3:52pm - Savannah Beatrice Jackson arrived via C-Section at Long Island College Hospital. She was 6lbs 2 oz and 19.5 inches long. Here's Savannah's first picture with her parents!

Welcome

Welcome to Boogie and The Bea! This blog was created to share not only pictures of our two beautiful children but our thoughts, feelings and stories about them as well. In todays fast paced world where family and friends are so spread out we felt that this would be a good way to keep all the important people involved in our children's lives. Now the goal is to have a post at least every couple of days but - let's keep it real - we have two kids and we just may not be able to get to it ;-}

But please read and enjoy the blog and check back often to hear about funny antics and the exploits of Miles Boogie and Savannah Bea.

P.S. Feel free to leave comments to any post - we check them regularly and we'd love to hear what you have to say!