My email was hacked

Hey all, my yahoo was hacked last night for some reason. So, if you received an email saying I was stuck in London and needed money, please disregard.

You would also know it wasn't me if you got some forward about how if you sent that email to 10 of your friends, your computer would give birth to a real-live puppy. You would know it wasn't me, cause I hate forwards!! =D

Sarah

The "free ride is over" tour continues

When even Grandma C makes you work to earn your keep, you know you're no longer a coddled little baby!

It's a major award!

My knocked up (probably with twins) pal Flojat honored me with this award:Ok here are the requirements of the award:

List 10 things that make you happy.Pass it on to 10 bloggers that make your day a better one!

1) This sweet little awesome kiddo I know named Jack. He's my heart
2) The man who made it possible for me to spawn, T-Roy Pickens. He's the best father and husband a girl could ask for
3) My family and their health (ok, family members you can giggle now)
4) That there were donut holes at work this morning!
5) That I may not have everything I want in life - like a house - but I have everything I need to be safe and healthy
6) That Jack gets to spend 4 days a week with my aunt and uncle who love on him like crazy. And the lucky little stinker gets 1 day a week with Grandma C. Grandma C lets him crawl around naked and pee on things. So for Jack, pretty much the best day ever
7) That my sis is pregnant with a healthy baby boy. Between my best friend Megan having a boy and my sis, Jack is going to have so many playmates nearby
8) DVR. Yes, it's superficial. Yes, I watch too much TV. Yes, I love it so much
9) That my sister-in-law and her husband have moved back to WA
10) The amazing women I have in my life to support me, laugh with me, and cheer me on. In person, or via the interwebs, I'm blessed to call you my friends.

Here are my 10 bloggers:
My sis: http://www.ohboyherewegrow.blogspot.com/
Jack's future mother-in-law: http://lylaslifeinpics.blogspot.com/
Jack's pumpkin patch pal: http://holcombs.blogspot.com/
Leenie: http://andersbrewhaus.blogspot.com/
Tammy Jo: http://www.tammyincharge.blogspot.com/
Jack's cousin Ashy: http://www.ashlyngraceyingling.blogspot.com/
My girl Blue: http://littleblue1224.blogspot.com/?zx=1d6d97c2c2002303
Mary Mary quite contrary: http://mary-mrsh.blogspot.com/
An amazing and inspiring momma of twins: http://lettenbergertwins.blogspot.com/
The kid who introduced Jack to the joy of swings: http://littleskipper.com/

Ang and Steph, I wanted to nominate you, but you cough neverupdateyourstupidblogs cough.

This stuff only happens on Troy's watch

Two weeks ago, Troy watched Jack so that I could have a glorious 4 hrs to myself at the mall. I was on a mission for new work clothes, and a fantastic pair of jeans. What I ended up buying was overalls for Jack. And new Carhartts for Troy. Oh well.

I can't say enough about how great it was to have 4 hours to browse and just recharge. As great as it was, I don't anticipate it ever happening again. "Why", you ask? Because when I'm gone for that long, my child is allowed to leave the house and go in to public looking like this courtesy of his dad:

Black dino hat, blue puffy coat, Santa sock monkey PJ bottoms, and slippers with cars on them. As my Grandpa Q used to say when he took the grandkids public places "don't tell anyone you're with me".

This stuff only happens on my watch

Yesterday was Troy's sleep-in day, so the following takes place between 6:45 am and 6:49 am, Sunday morning. I was alone. I've been watching a lot of 24 lately...

6:45 am: Jack wakes up
6:45:30 am: I walk in to Jack's room and see that he is covered in pee. Likely culprit - improper nighttime diaper selection. I'm not one to place blame, so I'll be silent about the perpetrator. It wasn't me.
6:46 am: I take Jack in to the bathroom to get a bath ready
6:47 am: bath water is ready. I strip Jack's piss threads off of him and take the diaper off. I notice a skid mark, but think nothing of it. I begin to lower him in to the tub without paying attention
6:47:30 am: I hear a PLOP and feel water hit my face. At this time I realize that Jack had a very solid turd stuck to his butt that is now floating around the tub. I put J on the floor and fished it out with one of the cups he uses as a tub toy.
6:48 am: I put him in the tub anyway. In the poop water.
6:49 am: Mother of Year nominations are announced. I like my chances.

The countdown is ON

51 more work days and I'm done with pumping. To say I can't freaking wait, would be an understatement.

A friend of mine called her pump, "Pump Vader", and I think that fits perfectly.

I'm so sad inside

For the life of me, I can't figure out why God chose to give me such an ugly baby...

New camera

T-Roy and I got a new DSLR camera after Christmas. Thanks to help from Erica, Ang, and my cousin Kayce, we picked out a Canon Rebel and love it!

I'm still trying to figure out what 99.99% of the camera can do, but here are some of my favorite pictures we've taken so far.

Everyone needs a hero. If you need one, you can borrow mine:

I know it's a new camera Momma, but get it out of my FACE:

The family resemblance is uncanny:

Great news from J's doc!

The blood work came back and Jack does NOT have Celiac! He might still have a gluten or wheat intolerance or sensitivity, but it's not a formal allergy.

I'm going to keep avoiding wheat for the most part for another week or so. Once I add it back in, we'll evaluate Jack's reaction.

I appreciate everyone's prayers and support.

Bragging on T-Roy

The time has come to give my man some props for being kick ass.

T-Roy is an AMAZING father. He loves to play with Jack and has created one of Jack's favorite games - "Squish" which involves 2 pillows from our bed and a squealing 9 month old. He is very hands on and gladly assumes all parenting responsibilities that some dads think are "mom only tasks"...well, except the breastfeeding part. Try as he might, he just wasn't cut out for nursing a child.

After working a full day - oftentimes in the rain or cold - Troy picks up Jack from Connie & Jim's house. In addition to that, at least once a week he'll take Jack over to Great Grandma C's house so that she can play with Jack. What a man!

Jack Attack and I are so bless to have him in our lives!

Blood draw update

Despite having to go to two clinics to find a tech willing to draw the blood of a 9 month old, Jack handled the blood draw like a champ. He cried because we had to hold him down, but the needle part was simple for him. We should have the results back by next Tuesday.

Except for a few instances where it is obvious his back molars are bothering him, overall he seems to be a much happier boy than he was a week ago. Jack continues to sleep really well and he's back to pooping normally (he even clogged our toilet last night. That's my boy!). Even if the blood test shows that he doesn't have Celiac, I might stay off wheat for a few more weeks and then add it back to see if he reverts back to his previous ways.

Jack would like to borrow some prayers please

Tomorrow afternoon he's going to be held down by yours truly so that some mean phlebotomist can draw some blood from his cutie pie little arm.

We had a 9 month check up on Saturday, and Jack's weight gain has dropped significantly in the last 2 months. He is still gaining weight, but went from the 75th to 40th percentile. The doc thinks he might have Celiac which is an inability to process glutens. When people with Celiac disease eat foods that contain gluten, an inflammatory reaction occurs that can damage the small intestine and inhibit the absorption of nutrients (per WebMD).

The blood test will show if he can tolerate glutens, and I'm hoping that it comes back clear. That being said, I've cut a lot of wheat out of my diet since Saturday, and Jack has had the best two nights of sleep since he was 2 months old.

If the test shows that it isn't Celiac, then the decline in weight gain could just be a result of his extreme wiggliness.

I appreciate any prayers or good thoughts you can spare for Jack's guts!

The free ride is over pal

Now that Jack is a crawling machine, I'm putting him to work:

"What are those yellow things on his knees", you ask? They are microfiber kneepads* that I made for him this weekend. They protect his wee little knees when he's crawling AND dust the wood floors while he's scooting around. No more crawling without working bro.

*US patent pending so don't even try bitches.

Happy 9 month birthday Jack!

In honor of Jack being out of mah bellah as long as he was in it, we had a private house party at our apartment.

We hired a DJ who is popular in Europe and is making the rounds here in the states. Making his Washington debut, DJ Jackie Bear: