Terrible two's arrive early

We have approached the "Terrible Two's" and yes, they are pretty terrible. As much as I hate to admit it, I think we may be in over our heads. It all started about three weeks ago. Jasper, our "perfect little angel" would come home from daycare and start crying. He wouldn't stop. He cried as I made dinner. He cried as we ate dinner. He cried after dinner. And he even woke us up screaming (not just crying) two nights in one week. Waking up in the middle of the night used to be rare! I regret to inform all of you that good fortune and luck has worn off. At one point, while Jasper was rolling around on the kitchen floor screaming, I looked at Jeremy and said, "Do you think we'll get used to this?" He responded, "I was just wondering the same thing... I hope so."

Since that really bad week, we're doing our best to handle these terrifying twos... When at home, we basically ignore the tantrums and he eventually gets over it. But when we're out and about, Jasper isn't the only one losing his temper. To think, all those years, I sat on my high horse judging parents and their bad little uncontrollable children at restaurants. I honestly wondered why they even bothered leaving the house. God is punishing me. I have a new respect for parents and their efforts to go out in public. In the meantime, I need to learn to cook more than just lasagna and red beans because we're going to be staying home A LOT more often til we can get these tantrums under control. 

With all that said, he did the cutest thing last week! Yes, when he isn't throwing himself to the floor, screaming and flailing his little arms and legs, he's still my adorable little pumpkin. He learned to say his name, "Jasper Starr!" He also understands that Jeremy and I are Daddy Starr and Mommy Starr, and of course, we can't leave out Callie Starr. The only problem is, now everyone seems to have the same last name as us... Did you all know that Elmo's last name is Starr? Who would've thought!? And the daycare girls are Rachel and Emily Starr. My favorite was when I had him in the tub the other night. I pointed to the orange fish and expecting to hear him respond, "Nemo!," I asked, what's the fishie's name? I should've known better... He responded, "Fishie Starr!" More good news, he is finally saying Granny and Grammie. Thank God!

As for Baby #2, he or she is already almost halfway ready. I'm at 20 weeks today. I've been feeling pretty good. Still gaining more weight than I had hoped, but I can't complain. We had our ultrasound Monday and I'm happy to report that our baby has one head, two arms, ten fingers, two legs and ten toes! We're waiting to find out the sex til the birth. But we do have names picked out. I'm sticking with my girl name from last time, Samantha Marjorie after my Granny and PawPaw. And if it's a boy, we've decided on Sam Alexander. Alexander was Jeremy's grandpa's middle name. So we have all family names this time around. We've also picked out godparents, but since all parties have not yet been informed, we're going to wait on letting that one out the bag...

Baby sucking his/her thumb

We've been slowly but surely cleaning and getting Jasper's new room ready. Aunt Carol is having her old bed refinished for Jasper and it's going to look great in his new sports-themed room. I spent way too much at Hobby Lobby the other day, buying tons of cute vintage sports stuff. With Jeremy as his daddy, he had no choice but to have a "sports" room. I'm not quite sure when we'll make the transition to the new room, but hopefully around his birthday. 

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous and anxious about having two children. Kira told me a long time ago though, that there will never be the right time, but somehow, you just do it. So I'm trying not to think and instead, "just do." I'm not thinking about how I'm going to manage two kids going to the grocery store when Jeremy has to work late. I'm not thinking about two kids out at a restaurant, when the food takes more than 15 minutes to get to the table. I'm not thinking about the cost to keep them in daycare and eventually Catholic school. We're just going to keep moving forward, reminding ourselves each day how lucky we are to have each other, tantrums and all.

Moving on into Summer!

Wow, so much to catch up on since Mardi Gras! Jasper continues to amaze AND challenge us in everything he does. From climbing out of his crib, to embarrassing us in most restaurants, to skydiving off of the sofa, there's never a dull moment. He's now 22 months.

Over the past few months, he's feeding himself more and more. Well, he's trying at least. Food usually ends up all over the seat, his shirt, his face, his hair, even sometimes in his diaper. But at least he's trying.  The kid never gives up! We're still working on "please" and "thank you." We're finally getting some thank you's, and please sounds more like "PEEZ!" He said his first sentence in early May. We were out by the lake getting his pictures taken and he said, "I see a boat!" He's also started saying "Bless you Mama" and "Bless you Dada" whenever we sneeze. So stinkin' cute. He has more and more teeth coming in. Not sure how many, but between the extra teeth and hair, he's looking less and less like PawPaw Sam. We've switched out the front piece of the crib to the toddler rail. It's just safer than him hopping in and out of the crib, which he did like a pro. But now, he hops out of his crib whenever he wants.  I mentioned restaurants. It's no secret that we are always going out to eat with family and friends. Well folks, it's just hit and miss. One day, he's happy as can be playing with his cars and eating french fries in his highchair. The next day, it's squirmy-wormy-meets-screaming-terror. French fries, bananas, red beans, strawberries or peaches usually calm him down. He's pretty weird with food. Except for the few foods I just mentioned, he seems to forget what every food tastes like. So we basically have to force/shove the first bite in. When out in public, this makes us look like the fantastic parents we are. We turned his car seat around to face forward, which allows us more opportunities to look at him (at stop lights). We get him to shake and boogie with us to the music. He can see so much more too, pointing out ALL trucks, buses and motorcycles. He even points at the canal and says, “water.” What a genius. He’s switched from saying ma-ma and da-da to mommy and daddy, which we thought was pretty awesome. We asks, "What's that?" about 10 times a day. Slowly but surely, he's learning his colors and numbers. He made me look really good the other night in the car with Jessica and Trey. I told them he wasn't quite ready to count and when I started with #1, he went all the way to #10! Oh, and the grandmas may not like hearing this, since he has yet to say anything sounding remotely like “Granny” or “Grammie,” but Uncle George stopped by a while back. As soon as George picked him up, Jasper said, “Hi George!” Then, when leaving Aunt Ruth's house, he said, "Bye bye Ruth!" In the meantime, Granny is considering going by “Basketball” and Grammie is considering being called “Banana.” Either way, we’ll keep working at it… Other than the Granny/Grammie issue, he's practically a parrot, repeating everything we say. I guess now's the time to definitely start watching what I say!

Speaking of "working at it," we have some news to share. Jeremy, Jasper, Callie and I are expecting our newest addition to the Starr clan the day after Thanksgiving, more importantly the day of the LSU /Arkansas game, November 29th. We found out a week before Easter, and waited to tell family til my birthday, which was torture. More on that later. I spent my first trimester dealing with the usual: queeziness, being hungry all the time, gaining weight from being so hungry, losing my breath when walking upstairs, wanting to fall asleep at my desk, and my favorite so far, leaving my wallet at the checkout line. Thank God I'm so unorganized that all of my valuable cards (i.e. license and credit cards) were at the bottom of my purse and not even in the wallet. 

Easter was nice. Jasper received almost as many presents as he did at Christmas! We enjoyed plenty of crawfish with the family. And he spent the day tormenting, umm, I mean “playing” with Mason. Thanks to everyone for all the adorable clothes and special gifts. As always, Jasper is making good use of everything!

We took an unexpected visit to the ER on April 4th. I specifically remember the date because that was the day that my best friend from Tigerband, Laura was coming to visit. Talk about great timing. I was having a lot of shortness of breath and chest soreness, and being newly pregnant, I didn't want to take any chances. It turned out to be nothing, just a weird viral infection, but there was definitely drama behind the scenes. Every time a new nurse or doctor came in, we had to find a way to quickly and quietly tell them to make sure not to spill the beans about the pregnancy. Because of course, Mom being Mom, she came straight to the hospital and sat with us the entire day! By the time we got out of there, I had to hear all about how terrible that hospital is, how they wouldn't x-ray me, how they didn't give me any medicines to take, and how the doctor kicked Mom and Jeremy out the room and closed the curtain to talk to me (while he pressed on my belly and we talked about how far along I was). Haha, what an interesting day it was. And the best part about it, we got out just in time to pick up Laura at the airport! 

The next few weeks crept on by as we waited and waited to tell the family our big news. Finally, on the 17th, we invited the usual suspects over to enjoy BBQ and Doberge cake (of course), and when it came time to sing Happy Birthday, I made sure to put Jasper in the spotlight. After he helped me blow out my candles, Jeremy said, "Jasper, give Mommy a kiss!" He gave me a big kiss, making the MUAH! sound. Then, Jeremy said, "Jasper, give the BABY a kiss!" Jasper bent over and kissed my belly. There was probably 3 seconds of silence that felt like 3 minutes. Finally people (Joy) started screaming and (everyone else) laughing. Mom cried. It was a great night and a fun surprise. 

We've begun cleaning the junk room. We plan to move Jasper over into his own room and put baby #2 in the nursery. Meanwhile, our dining room is a huge mess as we reorganize. The other night, Jasper got to my sewing machine and pulled thread from the dining room, through the foyer and well into the living room before Jeremy finally yelled, "Stop!" I corrected him, and as I walked back, He said, "Mama, I sorry." Umm, cutest thing I've ever heard! I'm sure this will be the first of many "sorrys" that I hear... "Sorry I wrecked the car Mom" or "Sorry I broke the light fixture playing ball in the house Mom." But in the meantime, no harm no foul. 

Being an only child, we hear a lot of the word, "mine." Well, earlier this month was no different. Jeremy was sitting in his usual spot on the couch. Evidently, Jasper wanted the same spot. He used his entire body, trying to push Jeremy over, repeatedly saying, "My spot!" Ha, little does he know, things will be changing very soon, and in about five more months, not much will be "his." I just hope it's a smooth adjustment. 

Thanks as always for reading and catching up with us. I've attached some of my favorite pictures from the last few months. Enjoy!!

Jasper and Aunt Aimee just before bedtime.

Going to the St. Patty's Day P-rades!

Grandpa and Jasper at the P-rades.

Celebrating Uncle Neil's Birthday at Crazy Johnnie's with Nova.

Storyland with Daddy in the fire truck.

Storyland with Granny.

 

City Park carousel.

 

Jasper at Easter 2013.

Jasper and Mason at Easter.

Happy Birthday to Daddy!

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Trip to the Audubon Zoo in May, before it gets too hot!

 

Jasper with PawPaw and Daddy on the Train at Audubon Zoo.

  

Jasper wasn't too wild about the Dinosaur exhibit...

Visiting Uncle Kevin during his dive at the Aquarium.

Swingin' with Aunt Ruth in Austin

He loves all slides!

...and swings.

 

Look at those teeth!

 

Happy Father's Day to Grandpa and Daddy!

All of the Starr boys celebrating Father's Day.

My boys!

Our little one-and-a-half-year-old

Jasper celebrated his year-and-a-half birthday on Mardi Gras Day. With that said, I thought I'd take some time to elaborate on what it's like trying to keep up with a one-and-a-half year-old.

In the past few months, he has picked up so many new words, some of his favorites being car, boat, PawPaw, moon, dome, basketball, Elmo, and one that I'm sure I probably taught him, "No!" Jeremy and I recently started playing the "Who do you like more" game, where we ask Jasper who he likes more, Mommy or Daddy. He ALWAYS responds, "MAMA!" And when we ask who he likes more, PawPaw or Elmo, he answers that one 50/50. He knows some sign language, including "more" and "milk." We didn't teach him that; he just picked it up at daycare... because he's a genius.

He can point to his nose, ears and eyes. He can point out different animals in his books like cow, horse, kitten, frog, etc. He makes the "Moo" sound when we point to a picture of a cow. It's impressive to see how quickly he catches on to what's what. Then again, would you expect anything less? He gives Daddy and the guys high fives and "daps" all the time. He has perfected his unique wave and does it on command, along with blowing kisses to all the ladies. If you have the opportunity to kiss him on the lips, he lets out a big, loud "MMMUUAAHHH!" And on top of all that, during his bath tonight, he repeated, "I love you" to me. Yes, my heart melted.

We're finally to the point where he watches television. Do you realize how wonderful this truly is for us? I know, I know, we should be reading to him more and not parking him in front of the TV but you know what, it's just not realistic to keep up with all that. Dinner has to be made, laundry needs to be folded and these last 15 lbs. aren't going to lose themselves. Anyway, "Santa" brought Jasper some Sesame Street DVDs for Christmas and he is positively mesmerized by them. When I tell you that this kid NEVER sits still, I am not exaggerating. But put him in front of the TV with one of Sesame Street's Elmo videos and suddenly, I'm the maid I always wanted!

I know it's probably too early to tell, but I'm pretty sure that Jasper lucked out with a combination of our best music genes. He loves all kinds of music. He dances to any-and-everything. If I sing a simple ABC song, he rocks his head back and forth. Every time he hears music, he bends his knees and hops to the beat. I hope he always likes dancing as much as he does now. It will definitely pay off later with the ladies. And it's not just the dancing; he now has his own trumpet and french horn! As he walks around the house blowing the horn (and tormenting Callie) like he's in the marching band, Callie chases after him barking and biting at the end of the horn. It's quite entertaining to watch.

He's fearless. Jeremy had the attic door open and with PawPaw supervising, Jasper climbed up to the top of the attic ladder. Jeremy is teaching him karate. Well, not exactly. But they both walk around the house yelling, "HIIYAAA!" I'm not sure what that's about. Must be a guy thing. Speaking of guy things, they play football, basketball, baseball and some wrestling all in our very own living room. A few days ago, while I was working, Jeremy worked a half day (it was a holiday), picked up Jasper and took him to "Happy Hour." FYI, our version of Happy Hour involves selecting your own yogurt and many, many toppings at TCBY. Sounds like a pretty awesome happy hour to me!

We experienced another milestone last week (2/13/13) as Jasper climbed out of his crib for the first time. Lately, he's been wanting to get to bed later and later. His regular bedtime is already 9:15. So when I tried putting him to bed a few minutes before 9 p.m., I knew we were in for a good 20 minutes of screaming. Sure enough, he didn't disappoint. But when his bedroom door opened and I was in bed and Jeremy in the kitchen, we knew instantly, there was a problem! We had an escapee, and a very cute one at that! So there's  a little more to the story from that night that I feel I need to share... Jeremy wanted to see how Jasper climbed out, so he put him back in the crib and grabbed his phone to record Jasper on video. Well, Jasper was too slick. He put his hands on the rail, hopped up and over, and plopped on the ground in seconds. So to throw him off, Jeremy got creative. He turned most lights off, threw the blanket over Jasper's head pressed "record," and hid in the closet. One small problem. Jasper never hopped out of the crib. Instead he sat in his crib, stood up, sat, stood back up, sat, and eventually fell asleep about 30 minutes later. This is where "Dad of the Year" comes in. Because Jeremy didn't want Jasper to be afraid of monsters in the closet for the next 30 years of his life, Jeremy stuck it out, standing in the closet, in the dark, silent for 30 minutes until Jasper was fast asleep. Best Dad. Ever.

With Jasper getting older, going out to restaurants is getting harder and harder. He gets fussy and he can't sit still for long. He tries letting go of my hand when we're walking in crowds. He can be super whiny when he's tired and he often shows much too much separation anxiety when Daddy gets too far from his sight. But it's incredible watching him slowly begin to follow instruction, see and experience things for the first time, do things independently, and to show affection for particular family and friends. He may throw the remote on the floor, but when we ask him to pick it up and put it back on the table, he does. He's also very nice about sharing, especially when this involves his food and Callie. He gives me things, like shoes, toys and even a half eaten pretzel, and he usually doesn't take them back. I've even begun reasoning with him that he doesn't need to cry to get what he wants, but to simply ask. He likes trying to feed himself (with an emphasis on "trying"). He likes sitting next to Callie and petting her. And tonight, he crawled up in Daddy's lap to read a book together. He's precious and we're very lucky. I'll have to remind myself of all this the next time we're out in public and he won't stop running and screaming, haha!

Now, you know I couldn't post a blog without adding pictures. Here are a few more, taken between December and February. As always, we love you! XOXO.

I'm just trying to keep up...

It's February?!? When did that happen? With so much going on, I'll do my best to run through the highlights from the last few months as best I can. Big breath, and here we go!

Hmm, I can't even remember Thanksgiving, so let's just skip right into December. One of my very favorite friends tied the knot on Friday, December 7th. Jessica was a gorgeous bride and I'm pretty sure that I saw Trey cry as she walked down the aisle. If there was ever a wedding dress made for one person, Jess certainly found hers. She was stunning. And what a wonderful group of bridesmaids. Her sister was amazing through all of the planning, and I loved catching up with my "twin," Lauren. I know this blog is usually more about Jasper and our family, but I gotta show you pictures for the details from this wedding. Jessica made both cakes herself, and created all of the table decor too! The reception was beautiful; the food, the music, everything was just fabulous.

Instead of spending more money on more toys, Christina, Audrey and I took our boys to the Children's Museum as a fun "Christmas get-together." Jasper, Mason and Garret got some much needed quality time in as they crawled, walked, ran, jumped and climbed their way through the museum. The baby room was great; basically a padded cell with soft toys for them to play with. After two hours of fun and excitement, we were exhausted! But what a great day to spend with friends.

Speaking of friends, we met up with Jamie and Nora at Chapelle's "Breakfast with Santa" breakfast. Unfortunately, Jasper wasn't too wild about sitting on Santa's lap. It didn't help that every kid that came before Jasper was screaming bloody murder as their parents sat them down. So, Jasper did one one-year-old's do best for his picture with Santa. He cried and screamed his head off til Daddy rescued him from the big, mean, scary Santa. Meanwhile, Nora was a perfect angel.

New Year's Eve was certainly memorable! We surprised Kira for her 31st birthday by hosting a big party at our house. She had no clue! We had pictures of Kira ALL OVER the house. From the dining room to the bathrooms, Kira's pictures were everywhere. I especially liked the high school pictures of her and Dusty. For not having digital cameras back then, I think I did pretty well!

And talk about clean sweep! I still can't find things that I put away the day before the party! But it was all worth it. Friends came in from out of town and we celebrated Kira and the new year. And did I mention, another fabulous cake made by Jessica!

Mardi Gras came early this year and it was incredible. To start things off, we attended the annual Iris Ball and Supper Dance. Jasper stayed with Granny while Mom, Dad, Grammie and PawPaw partied it up all night long with the Gegenheimer's. The best part was seeing Claire get presented as a Junior Maid. She looked amazing!

Callie, an official member of the Krewe of Barkus paraded for a third consecutive year, this time as Beignet Mix. That's right! Us humans were the beignets! Cookie and Beasley joined us as cafe au lait and coffee & chicory. Aimee completed our group as a Cafe du Monde server. Plenty of pictures were taken of our group as we strolled thru the French Quarter. In fact, even the Cafe du Monde owners found out about us and invited us to go on ESPN2 to represent Cafe du Monde. So, the following Monday, Jeremy, Aimee, Jasper and I threw our costumes back on and headed out to Jax Brewery to get on national TV. Big thanks to Granny and Grandpa for babysitting Jasperino, who was a total monster as he fought taking his nap for two hours!

Callie really strutted herself at the parade, gaining over 2,800 "likes" on Cafe du Monde's Facebook page. Another thing about the costumes: I feel the need to explain how we made the powdered sugar. When it comes to creating something, especially last minute, "we" almost always includes me and Dad. That's right. Dad helped me with getting the "powdered sugar look" by rigging a way to hang the costumes above our heads while we spray painted each one with that popcorn ceiling stuff. We made a huge mess in the backyard and there is still white paint all over the patio, even some on the house and the air conditioner too. Looking back, Dad and I had a lot of fun, and the costumes were a hit. If anyone talks about this to Jeremy, just tell him that I thought this would be a great time to see how well our pressure washer works. Thanks again Dad. Oh and one more thing... Jasper slept thru most of the parade. But he was really cute in his mini beignet outfit, so we didn't give him too much of a hard time.

As for the rest of the Mardi Gras festivities, where do I begin? It was a fabulous Mardi Gras filled with friendly crowds, beautiful parades, not-so-bad weather and great time with friends and family. Jasper is a natural when it comes to embracing the Mardi Gras spirit. I danced in my first parade with the Nawlins Nymphs and I couldn't have gotten thru it without help from my awesome dancin' buddy, Courtney! And the Endymion Extravaganza was absolutely worth the $175 ticket, even if you do have to bring your own food and booze... and your dress gets ruined... Jessica was so right; getting there an hour and a half BEFORE the doors even open SERIOUSLY paid off!! I never want to see Endymion any other way unless I'm in the dome, standing on a cooler, in the front row next to my girl.

I posted something a couple of days ago on my Facebook page to describe Mardi Gras and what it means to me. I hope those of you that already read this don't mind seeing it again.

I love Mardi Gras. Here's why...

Because of king cakes.
Because hosting the Super Bowl is nothing compared to hosting Mardi Gras.
Because the stranger next to me caught a rubber chicken and gave it to my nephew.
Because before I left for work, I grabbed a moon pie from the bag of beads on my kitchen counter to eat for breakfast.
Because this year's Mardi Gras guide had our picture in it.
Because we can finally restock our to-go cups.
Because we caught a banana off a Bacchus float and fed it to Jasper as a snack.
Because everywhere else, it's just Tuesday.
Because my aunts and mom rent a U-haul every year and put their own make-shift toilet in it.
Because after the parades, when we go out to eat, we leave all our beads on us as trophies.
Because a few years ago, I got asked to be a godmother at Caesar.
Because Mardi Gras gives me an excuse to eat an entire bag of Zapp's Cajun Crawtators and not feel bad about it.
Because I met Amanda Shaw in a hotel bathroom before a parade.
Because blinkie beads are AMAZING.
Because we caught a coveted toilet brush at the Tucks parade.
Because I'm on the "neutral ground side."
Because the gumbo at Sophie B. Wright School on St. Charles and Napoleon is better than ya mama's gumbo.
Because there are beads with balls the size of my head hanging from the light fixture in my kitchen, and I may just leave them there til Easter.
Because my mom has her own 10-foot ladder.
Because it is highly probable that I will find beads in my car well into Summer.
Because my former band director is the trombone player for Pete Fountain's band.
Because we dress up more for Mardi Gras than for Halloween.
Because friends I don't see all year long call me and ask me, "Where yat?" And I always reply "Napoleon and Prytania."
Because my husband took our child to Krewe de Vieux.
Because friends, family and even co-workers came out to see me dance in the parade this year.
Because rain won't stop us.
Because outsiders have no idea that most of Mardi Gras is extremely family oriented.
Because while dancing in the parade, a black guy told Courtney, "you a fine-ass white girl" and she smiled and said, "Thank you!"
Because Mardi Gras never gets old.
Because Jasper dances as each band marches by, and then he claps for them.
Because there's nothing like seeing the Krewe of Endymion parade in the Superdome, while standing in the front row, alongside Jessica Martino, on a cooler, wearing a ball gown.
Because our dog is an official member of the Krewe of Barkus.
Because while walking with the stroller, a lady stopped me and said, "Ma'am, your son dropped his cigar."
Because we got on the front row this year!
Because Mardi Gras is what helped us persevere after Katrina.
Because my father-in-law wants me to send my son to either St. Aug or Warren Easton just so he can play in the band and march in the parades.
Because beads are on the changing table and plastic cups are in the bath tub.
Because strangers smile at you and wish you a "Happy Mardi Gras."
Because my cousin, Drea got married on a float.
Because I got my picture taken with Arthur Hardy on Napoleon and Prytania.
Because Mike Hoss where's the same moose costume every single year.
Because the music never stops.
Because I can perfect my mad parallel parking skills.
Because on Mardi Gras Day you can wear all the craziest things you own together, even though they don't match, and you still get compliments.
Because our son already loves Mardi Gras just as much as we do.

You know, a friend of mine at work said to me in January, "Wow, Brigette. You've really got your stuff together... being a mom, making costumes, having a full-time job." She has no idea that we live in complete chaos. No really! Laundry never ends. Toys are everywhere. We spend way too much on going out to eat. My car is still full of Mardi Gras junk. It's become a common occurrence for Callie to eat Jasper's dinner and for Jasper to eat Callie's dinner. And I'd die of embarrassment if you were to walk in our bathroom right now. But with all of that said, our little family is having an absolute blast. What's that saying by John Lennon? "Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans." He's right. There are days when I feel like I'll never catch up. Or, I'll never get to finish the projects or ideas I've started. And Pinterest just makes it worse. But all of the chaos doesn't matter, as long as the three of us are having fun in the process. Oops, the four of us. Sorry about that Callie!

Happy Lent to you all. Jeremy and I will be catching up on some much needed sleep this weekend. We love you.