More Christmas

"Moseley on the front porch waiting for Santa to visit the neighborhood.

My nephew, Bancroft, and Moseley on the stairs waiting to see the presents!

Bancroft, who is 10, is embarrassed to associate with a 2 yr old :)

"Can we get on with this?"

Baby got (no) back...

Chambers has finally moved up to Size 1 diapers... at 8 weeks old! He probably could stay in NB a while longer but we ran out. The boy has no derrière!!

8 Week Sweetness! and Two-year old Tantrums

Time flies! Chambers is 8 weeks already. He has changed so much that it is hard to believe it has only been 8 weeks. On the other hand I feel as if he just got here.

At 5 1/2 weeks he was 11 lbs 3 oz and 23 inches long. We go back on February 13th for his 2-month check-up and some shots. 

Chambers is sleeping very well. Most nights we were putting him down at 9pm or 9:30p and he would sleep until 4am or 5am. Then he was back to sleep after he ate. Last night though I thought I'd try putting him down earlier b/c he seemed to be tired. So I fed him at 8pm and put him down about 8:20pm and he slept until 5am! I was shocked and actually worried! It was nice for me though - I am having trouble falling asleep so early these days.

Moseley is growing very fast as well. He has an extensive vocabulary and will spout out these hilarious monologues. When he gets mad he throws whatever toy is in his hand and he then gets in trouble and I put him in Time Out. 

Yesterday he started talking to himself and this is what he said while wagging his finger:

"Do Not Throw Your Toyth Mose-ee. Not Nice. That's Uddy (Ugly). Time Out. Two Minutes. Yes Ma'am? Do You Hear Me?" 

I laughed so hard at his perfect rendition of my wrath. Good thing I have a little parrot to keep me in check! 

Nursing a Cold

I hate cold. I. HATE. COLD. I like to be toasty warm. Since I am very cold-natured (with the 9-month pregnancy exception) I am only warm in the Spring and Summer. During Fall and Winter, I normally wear 18 layers topped with a ski jacket to be warm. Unfortunately, when you are nursing an infant, that many layers are not conducive to easy access to food. So I will be constantly cold until things start to warm up around here.  I have been told this weekend will be warmer and I am looking forward to it. 

Mobile Uploads and such

As you can imagine life is busy. I am getting the hang of the organizational aspects of juggling two children. I had a good run in the sleep department at night with Chambers pulling a 6 hr stretch for about 5 nights in a row. Now he's not sleeping quite as much but still going for a 5 hr stretch then a 3 1/2 hr stretch at night. I am ok with that but still tired.

If you know me then you know I LOVE to sleep. I can (and will) sleep anywhere at anytime. It's a family trait. My brother's ex-girlfriend used to call my momma's house "the house of sleep" b/c even in high school and beyond we revolved our daily activities around a good nap. Mardi Gras has always been tricky b/c there is so much to do and not enough time for naps. That can usually be solved by getting a hotel room closer to the festivities :)

I digress.

I take a lot of pics with my blackberry these days since it is always with me. I can then email them from my blackberry to Snapfish which is so easy. Here are the links to those pics (beware they are not the best resolution :)

Mobile Uploads - December 2008
Mobile Uploads - January 2009

Lemonade Blog Award

My first blog award!! I feel so special!

Sweet Suellen gave it to me, thanks so much!!

The Lemonade Award:

So here is the award and the rules.

#1 You must link back to the person you received the award from.

#2 You have to nominate bloggers who are deserving of this award!

I nominate:
The Tuck Family

The Pullen All-nighters

Blessed with Boys

The Touchton Family

Wow - A whole month!

Tomorrow marks Chambers' one-month birthday. I can't believe I have been a parent to TWO precious boys for a whole month!

Chambers is doing well. He is sleeping well at night also. He still gets up every 3-5 hours but goes right back down to sleep once fed. We are going to transition him to his nursery this week. I will still sleep in there or at least up stairs but I want hi to get used to the room and crib.

Moseley is also doing well. He is back in MDO which he loves. He is having a hard time these days adjusting to the fact that I can't hold him if I am feeding Chambers. This is true especially if the two coincide with his post-nap lovey-ness.

Moseley is so smart. He knows his alphabet, which means he can sing the song AND identify any letter in writing! He can also count to ten in English and sign language and can count up to ten objects. We are working on 11 through 20 but that's coming slowly. Next up, spelling :)

Well I hear Chambers' little cry for food so I had better go deliver :)

My Cuties

James Schiller (known to us as "big James") had his birthday party at the train depot in Calera, AL on October 25th. I did a post on this previously but just got these cute pictures also. We took the pumpkin express which took us to a pumpkin patch and back. It was a very cool real train and Moseley was beside himself. It excited himself so much that he slept the 30min ride home and for 4 hours afterward!

Moseley and Kevin riding on a hayride pulled by a green John Deere tractor.


Moseley and Kevin riding on a real train!


Moseley sitting by himself on the train.


Jess (at 36 weeks), Moseley and Kevin at the Pumpkin Patch

Week one down, week two in progress

Chambers is now sleeping for 4-hour stretches at night which is fantastic for us. I am solely breastfeeding so I don't get much of a break unless he sleeps. We wake him up during the day every 2 hours to eat but let him sleep at night. I am also pumping extra breastmilk so I have some extra to give him at night. He had his 1-week check-up today and he is up to 8lbs 3oz which is really close to his birthweight. Kevin is at home on paternity leave for another week - not sure how I will handle both children when he isn't here. My momma is here also and Kevin's parents were here last week and are coming back Wednesday so that has been huge. I don't know how people do it without help from family!

Itty bitty baby!


Cute paci clip from Aunt Nancy Pants


Booties my cousin Jan sent Chambers. The only thing that will stay on Chambers skinny ankles.


First time with a Paci = heaven


Nancy showing Staples how to diaper a wriggly two year old (Moseley)


Chambers dressed for the cold in his new knitted sweater and hat from Beth Snyder

Pictures of Chambers

We came home from the hospital yesterday (Sunday) about 1pm. We were so glad to be home! Here are some pictures we took with our camera this past weekend. We also took a video but I am not sure if we will be posting it anytime soon.

Chambers snoozing in his bouncy seat.


Click here for all the pics so far

Day Two - fam of four!

Hello everyone! I am in the hospital recovering from a repeat cesarean section but hope to go home on day 3 (tomorrow). The surgery went smoothly and recovery has been great. I was up and around my room by yesterday afternoon and had them remove all my cords and hookups so I could "walk-the-halls" by midnight of last night. So needless to say I am fully mobile today and had a shower this morning which felt great!

We have had lots of fun visitors so far. Chambers is very loved. My daddy and Victoria came yesterday as did Kevin's parents and Kevin's brother, John. Kevin's parents are actually on Moseley duty until we get settled back at home - that way Moseley is paid some attention to. My brother Staples drove in from Augusta which was awesome for us and for Moseley!

I am still in awe of baby Chambers. He is so perfect and yet a completely different child from Moseley. He looks different (dark hair, pale skin, smaller frame) whereas Moseley had/has olive skin, light hair, and a fuller frame. He also acts different. For one thing, he's not quite as hungry as Moseley was those first days. I have to wake him up to feed him and Moseley let me know he was hungry every hour! I hope that by the time Chambers is starving my milk will have come in. So far breastfeeding has been just as great an experience as with Moseley. I was worried I wouldn't be able to make it a year like I did with Moseley but those fears are long gone.

Moseley has been to visit several times each for a substantial length. Yesterday and today Moseley told Chambers "I love you brother" and "I love you Chamboo." He also gave him a hug and kiss on several occasions which I am taking to be a great sign. I am sure when it just the three of us and Chambers is winning my attention things won't be so rosy but for now he seems to think Chambers is a great addition.

With them being so different (so far, hehe) I am hoping that Moseley never feels as if Chambers is a replacement for him. We love them both so much and are so thankful for our baby boys!

Welcome to the world Chambers!!

John Chambers Garrison, II was born on Friday, December 12, at 7:22am.

He weighs 8 lbs, 8oz and is 21.5 inches long.

We are thrilled to have him here and healthy and will post pics of our precious baby boy soon!

Love, Jessica, Kevin, and Moseley



Getting cleaned up for viewing


He found his thumb!


Nonna, Moseley, Chambers and Pop

In 43 hours...

I will be a mom to two precious babies. Moseley, my just-turned-two-year-old and Sweet Pea (of undetermined gender) who will be born via repeat C-section Friday, December 12th at 7:15am. I am so ready. I am not uncomfortable or in pain. Aside from the pregnancy onset GERD I am very comfortable in this state.

But... I am ready to hold my baby. Holding Moseley is few and far between these days unless he is overwhelmed by a brand new crowd or it's the middle of the night and he is scared or not feeling well. Also, I am ready to find out the gender - and start life all over again with a new expanded family. I am anxious to see Kevin holding a teeny infant again just as he held Moseley 2 years ago. It is such a sweet sight to see the man you love, the man who takes care of you become jello holding a little baby. Ok so Moseley was almost 9 pounds, but he seemed small to us.

If you care to take a guess at the "dimensions" of this baby, feel free. Moseley was 21.5" and 8lbs 14oz when he was born a week early. This baby will end up about 10 days early. Oh and Kevin's guess was 8lbs even and 20.5" long.

I have a lot left to do and probably won't blog again until after the baby is born.Also, tomorrow, I am spending the day cuddling my firstborn and assuring him that one day he will be happy to have a sibling!

Check back on Friday for all the details.

Christmas Cheer and Santa Fear

Ross Bridge had their annual Lighting of the Green last night and Moseley and I couldn't miss it. We got there right at 6p and it was already packed. We had some sweets and Hot Chocolate in the heated food tent then headed over to the stage to watch Deer Valley Elementary Choir and the Elftones perform. Moseley was in a trance as they sang and danced across the stage. After every act he clapped and said "Yay" very loudly followed by an "Again!" It was so cute. He loved it. Then we went inside to get our picture taken with Santa Claus. Daddy showed up at this point to see Moseley with Santa. All during our wait in line we talked about Santa and he seemed so excited. The second we sat him on his lap though he screamed bloody murder for us. It was so sad and yet so hilarious. Definitely a rite of passage. We had them take a pic anyway- b/c it was free and too funny.

Moseley screaming for Momma! Dada!


Our front door decorated for the holidays.


A little closer look at the Rosemary (which I love) Kevin picked out


Close-up of my favorite thing, my gorgeous wreath. My aunt Ellen made this for me. I saw the one she made my mom and I had to have one of my own.


Moseley's gorgeous stocking that Victoria handmade him when he was born. Over 400 hours of work went into this intricately large needlepoint stocking. It is truly amazing. We almost didn't put ours up (the polka dot ones in the mantle pic below) b/c they look so sad next to his!


Our mantle. Normally the poinsettia's go outside but when it's too cold we bring them in to adorn the fireplace.


Our tree.


Banister to the 2nd floor


Moseley's little tree that my grandmom bought at a craft sale. He adores this tree and asks for it to be turned on every morning when he wakes up.


Our Chandelier with ornaments hanging from it


Our antique bubble lights in a champagne bucket - Kevin's grand idea.


Buffet in the Dining Room


Closeup of my favorite decoration - my MEK nativity



And as a bonus...
Moseley bundled up for a cold school day

It's beginning to look a lot like... GAMEDAY!

Although I am an Auburn fan, today I will be rooting for ALABAMA!! They have a chance to go to the National Championship which is huge! I know Kevin, my devout UA fan hubby, would do the same for me (HA HA)!

Today the TV has been on football since we woke up. Typical gameday for us.


Cheese-in-motion!


I finally got him to just stand still instead of saying cheese. Notice the jersey Moseley is wearing - his 2nd birthday gift from his godparents. An official replica of John Parker Wilson's jersey. Especially fitting since we now live in Hoover, where JPW grew up.

Moseley's Two Year Check-up

Moseley had his 2 year check up on Monday. He was so great! He was patient for the doctor and got his finger pricked without complaint. He also stood very still on the scale and against the wall for height measurement. Crazy how much he has grown since he was a wriggly little baby. This is his last appointment until he is 3! He also had to have a shot to catch up on some immunizations we were behind on (long story).

Moseley's Stats:
Height - 37" (>95%)
Weight - 32# (>95%)