Busy Busy Busy!

Despite some tantrums and a few sleepless nights, Jasper is pretty awesome at this age. He's got such a fun personality. We can get him to say virtually anything we want him to say. And for some reason, it's just so much funnier when he says it. Take for example, the other day in the car, on the way home from work and daycare. Like every weekday, I ask him questions. The conversation goes something like this:

Me: Jasper, did you have a good day at school?

Jasper: Yes, I had a good day.

Me: Were you a good boy?

Jasper: Yes, I good boy.

Me: Jasper, did you eat your ravioli?

Jasper, Yes, I ate ravioli.

Me: What about your grapes, did you eat your grapes?

Jasper: Yes, I ate grapes.

There I sit, feeling so proud, I'm hearing all about his day, firmly believing that he ate all of his food like a good boy. Then Jeremy chimes in...

Jeremy: Jasper, did you eat your dog poop too?

Jasper: Yes, I ate dog poop.

Just awesome. You know how some kids always say "No" to everything? Not our kid. He's the most agreeable 2-year-old around.

It's been an eventful month! I participated in the Alumni Band Half Time (9/14/13) show at 29 weeks pregnant. It was a long day with A LOT of walking, but we had a great time catching up with old friends. Thanks Kevin, for convincing me to participate this year. It was well worth it.

The following week, we brought Jasper up to Baton Rouge for his first tailgate (9/21/13). Granny took the trip up with us to see all the changes to campus. We didn't quite make it to the band hall or even the Union, but we shopped for a good hour in the new bookstore. Jeremy had lots of fun trying to keep up with Jasper as he ran under and around all the displays. We joined Aunt Carol and Aunt Debbie for lunch at the Chimes. The wait was only about three hours!?! But those boudin balls and crab cake sandwiches made it all worth the wait. Jasper learned how to "Tigerbait" Auburn fans, which was pretty awesome, and he spelled "T-I-G-E-R-S" for every friend we ran into. Despite a little bit of rain, it was a pretty special day for us. 

Grandpa has been super involved with his alma mater, Warren Easton. They recently celebrated the school's 100 year anniversary and Grandpa played a big role with developing  a "dedication" to the school and its alums. In the summer heat, Dad was out there, just about every day, designing and building this centennial plaza. His hard work was recognized at the school's celebration/pep rally in September. Dad got to speak and I got some pictures of him with Jackie Clarkson. Even fellow alum, Pete Fountain was there!

Uncle Neil is back in town! Hopefully, he's home to stay, at least, for a long time. Jasper and Nova did some catching up, which is always great to see. Jasper loves his Uncle Neil. Just last Saturday, he couldn't stop talking about wanting to see Uncle Neil, Tia and Nova. We're really looking forward to seeing them more with Neil back in town, hopefully for good!

I should probably give an update on How Baby "Clancy" is doing. Have I mentioned that we gave Baby #2 a nickname? Don't worry. We're not really naming this kid Clancy. The truth is, we love the name, but we know we can't name our kid "Clancy." Anyway, I'm almost 35 weeks pregnant. This whole pregnancy thing finally caught up to me about three weeks ago. I caught a virus and was sick in bed all day. I couldn't keep anything down. I think it was just too much coming and going, and my body finally said, "ENOUGH!!" Fortunately, it didn't last long, and I was able to enjoy Aunt Carol's birthday brunch at Muriel's the following day. No dessert though, which was difficult for me. Back to Clancy... the doctor said that the baby was a little larger than average, in the 74th percentile. So if anyone asks, it's the baby, not me that's gaining all this weight! Due to my epilepsy, we've had a few more ultrasounds than the average expecting mom. Every time, we've been told that the baby is "perfect." So good to hear. And according to babycenter.com, my baby is looking less "wrinkled" each day. Added bonus! Clancy is now the size of a cantaloupe. He/she kicks all day and all night long. My belly is huge and my feet are swelling as we speak. I'm moving much slower, definitely waddling a lot, and I now need help when getting up off the couch. Jeremy now drops me off to work because it takes too much energy to walk from the parking garage. And when we walk back to the car together in the evenings, when those Braxton Hicks contractions kick in, I'm sure people driving past us think that I'm going into labor. Sleeping at night is getting more and more uncomfortable, not to mention the two and three potty breaks per night. But I know, I know, it's all worth it. Damn right.

We celebrated Grammie's birthday last week at her favorite place, Drago's. It turns out that Jasper got his Grammie and Grandpa's creative genes. He wanted to make something special for Grammie for her birthday. Needless to say, it was her favorite gift! Great job Jasper! And of course, our son, being the confident kid he is, said over and over, "I made that, I made that!" ... Happy Birthday Grammie!

A few special Jasper updates... We are so proud to announce that the first word he learned to spell was "T-I-G-E-R-S." Here's a video from 9/17/13 after practicing with Dad the night before. Since then, we've also taught him his name. Next, with the way Les has been coaching, we might have to focus on "Who Dat?!"

He's becoming pretty helpful with things. He opens and closes the back gate for me, like a little gentleman. He knows how to throw his trash away. He picks up the remote for me when I can't quite reach it (since this has become a challenging task the bigger I get). When I drop a piece of ice at the ice maker, he picks it up and throws it in the sink. He's certainly making progress...

Oh, two weekends ago, he and Daddy worked on some potty training while I was away on my girls' trip. We're in no rush with the potty training, and frankly, I feel weird mentioning details of it in my blog, but I do have to admit, I was pretty excited to get my video text message from Jasper telling me "Mommy, I pee pee'd in the potty!" OK, I'll stop there. Don't want to lose readers... and don't worry, no pictures.

Don't get me wrong, life is hectic. I'm still constantly struggling to keep up with laundry and the dust that fills up my house. I step on toys all day, every day. I'm tired a lot and I know it's only going to get worse. Kira said, with two kids, she lives tired. I'm sure that will be me. But, God, he makes us so happy. His laughter literally fills us up with joy and when he smiles, it feels like all is right with the world. I didn't expect it to be this good. I didn't know that someone could impact us the way he has. So much that I didn't understand as a kid makes sense now, like why my mom did things the way she did. And did I mention how he's absolutely the perfect play mate for Daddy too! Now, if only I could teach them both, no throwing things in the house!!

I'm getting anxious about Baby #2 and how he/she will fit into our family. I can't wait to see what he/she looks like. I certainly hope that this delivery goes much more smoothly that the last one. But if it doesn't, I'll live and recover just like last time. And afterward, Jasper will be a big brother. Poor Callie. Down to #3 on our list...