my boys

Here are my two handsome guys!

Daddy and Jackie playing with dinosaurs

Jack eating dinosaurs

jack attacking daddy with dinosaurs

Jack coming to hug daddy after the attack :)

I love these two guys!

so fast

My little boy is growing so fast! He is now using a fork and spoon to eat all of his meals. He had been very picky about what he would/would not eat and one day started fussing and pointing to the table, to the plate, and I asked him if he wanted a plate and he said yes. I thought he didn't know what he wanted, but I tried it, I gave him a plate and spoon with applesauce and cottage cheese and he ate every bit of it with his spoon. It is a little messy, but totally worth it! Jack and Daddy eating blueberry pancakes!

Coloring! Notice the left hand!

Jake did the Bataan Death March and his team came in 2nd out of 100 and they broke the course record. He felt great and enjoyed it alot! These are the men and women from Ft Bragg.

It is tradition for the competitors to leave a unit coin, these are the ones from this year.

We are doing pretty well. I planted my garden this week and have been really busy with work. Jake has been busy and we have been spending time together and with Jack.

Jack is doing really well, sleeping well, eating well. Very well mannered. He is so amazing. He isn't walking yet, but he is getting closer. He is very steady on his feet, but just not ready to let go of things or people.

My job at church is going well. I don't know if I've even blogged about it, but I am the new children's ministry coordinator at our church. It's a new position for the church and it has been a big undertaking, we launched a new 2 service format and there have been challenges, but the kids are so awesome. And the volunteers are great, I have gotten to know so many new families.

It is amazing to watch the Lord work, He is so faithful. His ways are not our ways. It's so funny to me, I am a bit of a control freak and this job was definitely not a part of my "life plan." But I have been so humbled to be a part of this ministry and church. The story of this job is that I wasn't at all looking for a job or this job. But they aproached me about the position and Jake was totally on board with it. I really felt like the Lord was just lining things up in His timing. He placed us here for a reason and I am so thankful that I can be home with my son at this time in his life. I can take him with me and do alot of my work from home. Growing up in ministry it was something I did not think I would do, but children's ministry really is my passion. I love watching these kids grow up in the faith. Did you know that 70-80 % of kids raised in church walk away when they get to college. I want to be a part of changing those numbers. I want these kids to know the joy of living a life without the regrets of an unsaved life. To help them make wise choices at an early age and to put God first in all that they do. I have been humbled in this position. Liberty Baptist has been growing and we are really enjoying all of the changes. What an amazing God we serve! So will I go back to medicine someday? I hope so. I miss being an NP and a nurse, but my job right now is to be obedient to what the Lord has for me.

I want to say thank you to those of you who have been such an encouragement to me in the past few weeks. I have been struggling with alot of emotions and doubt. But I know that God's plans are perfect and He will provide exactly what I need exactly when I need it!

What amazing friends He has provided for Jake and I. I am so thankful.

stuffed animals

Well, Jack is almost 16 months old and he has recently been making some big strides in his gross motor development. He has started climbing, standing up on anything, trying to stand up from the sitting position, and standing for a few seconds on his own without falling. So he is on his way to walking, we are hoping it happens before daddy goes away, but we'll see, we don't want to rush him, he will do it when he is ready (not that we could rush him if we wanted to :)

So I love stuffed animals, and before I had Jack if Kohls was selling books with stuffed animals I couldn't help from buying them, so Jack has quite a collection of stuffed animals. He has never been too interested in them, but just the other day he found them and got in the middle of a big pile of them and started hugging all of them. He loves his giant dog from grandma and grandpa sweatland (he woofs at it now) it was too cute to not take pictures. Enjoy!
Thrilled by all his new friends!

Hugging his Doggie

Ohh, what happened look

Aww....

tickled

These are better in reverse order...this is jack playing, me getting out the camera, him getting excited and coming after the camera...

Oh, good mommy you got the camera for me...

ohh yeah...getting closer

Excited face and hands....here he comes

What's going on mommy?
He is allowed to play with the plastic cups...he loves to pretend drink from them

He is sooo cute!!! we love him soo much. God has blessed us with such a happy little guy. He has been sick again this week, but just a virus we hope....no screaming so we don't think his ears are bothering him...he has been sleeping better still. last night from 8 to 7:30 (yea for mommy)

Jake is at the Bataan Death March this weekend competing with the team from Ft Bragg. There are 5 of them doing a 26 mile ruck through the desert, so if you think of him on Sunday morning, I'm sure he could use your prayers.

And you could pray for me, it's my trial run Sunday without Jake here...it will be interesting. He has really been there for me on Sundays by taking care of Jack, helping with my Power Point, helping with skits, etc. But God knows, He has it under control.

I will post about Bataan when Jake gets back with the camera.

fun times

Standing like a big boy

chasing the camera

In our PJs

We recently went on an overnight trip to Wilmington. It was really awesome! We went downtown and got good food. We went to Fort Fisher (a very important fort from revolutionary and civil war history) as well as the aquarium, and the battleship :)

we also got a kelty! (backpack for bigger kids)

jack loves it, but he loves to pull my hair too (we're working on that)

Jack loves!!! the aquarium, we stood at the fish tanks for a very long time and he really wanted to hug the fish! Fish is also one of our new words.

sharp!

we think that he thinks we're being silly

on the battleship USS North Carolina

Jack is doing better now, we are on some new ATB and he has slept well for 2 nights in a row...we'll see how tonight goes, maybe make it 3.

he is standing and spidering around the house, but no walking on his own yet. He did climb a step all on his own yesterday. He is talking alot now, he says:

ball, mama, dada, papa, gaba (grandma), woof woof, please, thank you, this, fish, light, stop it (i say this if he is screaming or when i want him to stop something, and now he says it to his toys), he says something that sounds like obey which would be wonderful, but we think it means okay.

His communication is really improving. He still points and is very sure of what he wants.

he is still eating almost everything, but he is having food stubbornness occasionally, he just won't eat something one day that he loved the day before, but we just let it go (not worth the fight at this point since we still can't really communicate) usually, most of the time he just eats around the object he doesn't want...

he has not been sleeping well, but we are hoping it was related to the sickness and lingering ear infection. He has been napping once a day now consistently for 1.5-3 hours. We still go to bed at about 7:30-8.

He can sit and stand now all he wants so he doesn't get stuck standing up in his crib anymore, which is nice.

One last thing before I head to bed. Can I just say how many germs he can now get into....wow! trash, anything on the floor, dirt...thank the Lord for a good immune system!

Thanks for reading!!!

moving

Here is a video of Jack using his new skills. Warning: he is very fussy in this video, not his normal self, we went to the doctor this afternoon and started on some Antibiotics, but it's cool to see him moving :)

I takes to the 1:20 to really see him go...bear with him.
He is doing okay today, but he has not been sleeping well...or eating, that's how we knew he was sick, poor little guy!


ps, jessi, i finally figured out the videos!!!!

what's new

So for the Sweatlands there have been quite a few changes in the past few weeks. Jake graduated from his course last Friday and he has been inprocessing with a new unit. So that is new. I have really been busy with my part time job, and Jack (drumroll please) is finally on the move standing up!!!

Here are daddy and jack before his first day in the new unit!

Us at graduation

Daddy and Jack (aren't they handsome)

Jack being very excited about the camera!

On the radio flyer his most favorite thing! He loves to ride it around the house as fast as he can, as well as outside. He has had a couple of tumbles, but wants to get right back on and do it again. Usually he is upset to be taken off of it!

Jack in the snow with our snowman!

Jack and daddy (daddy threw a snowball at jack)

Outside on the John Deere

So yes, Jack started standing up alot about a week ago, and a couple of day ago he started to push his stand up toys and walk across the room!!! Very exciting. It is all he wants to do now, as well as walking holding onto our fingers. What a big guy!

He does have an ear infection right now, so he has been a little fussy, but we are on ATB now and that should help...

Hope you enjoy the pictures!

WHEW 12 & 13 months

Us at Universal Dr. Seuss world!
Jack and his new buddy Scout!

Jack on his rocking Tigger

HARRY POTTER!!!! Need I say more? (i am a big harry potter fan, nerdy i know)

Polar slider from Uncle Josh and Aunt Kristen

After a very long break from blogging we are back.

So the Thanksgiving pics were from right when Jack had his first birthday. We had a great time in Orlando and we got to go to Universal Studios, Jack did really well all day, we just took turns riding rides. It was so fun!!!

We celebrated with Uncle Josh and Aunt Kristen, then when we got back we celebrated with Grandma, Papa, and Great Grandma. He had carrot cake cupcakes with orange cream cheese icing. Daddy was in the field for Jack's actual birthday. And we didn't get him anything because he really didn't need anything, but he still received many presents from lots of people :)

At 12 months Jack was scooting very well, he was trying to pull himself up, but couldn't quite do it. He then did successfully pull himself up for the first time at Auntie Jessi's house around the 13th of Decmeber. Right before his one year appt!!! I was very excited to be able to tell the provider that he could pull himself up if he really wanted to.

He is ahead in many skills though. He can say mama, dada, papa, light, woof woof for doggies (always at the pictures in his books) and occasionally will respond when asked what a sheep says with raahhh!!! which is awesome. he can point to his nose most of the time. He also had started to point to things he wanted. Like food, toys, daddy, etc.

He can feed himself at all meals and he finally started sleeping throught the night when we got back from Thanksgiving. He consistently slept from 7:30-8 till 5:00 in the morning at least. He then gets some milk if he wakes up and stays in his crib either playing or sleeping again till about 7:30 or 8. some days he sleeps till 7:30 without waking up. (those are good days for mommy)

Before Christmas I was still nursing him at night and in the morning. We stopped the night nursing right after Christmas and then about a week later right after New Years stopped nursing altogether. The transistion was really smooth, no engorgement or issues, he was upset one morning when I wouldn't nurse him, but I gave him his milk cup and he happily went on with life. I think it was harder for me, but it is very freeing!

The transition to milk was slow at first, just a few onces at a time, but now he can drink 8 oz at once when he wants it. He still eats everything!! He hasn't turned down any foods yet. Which is great! At his 12 month appt he weighed 24 lbs 7 oz and was 29.5 inches long. He is a big boy! We love it. He is wearing 12-24 month clothes, but most pants are now 18-24 months.

Just last week he finally learned how to sit up on his own. He has been a good sitter since he was 6 months and the scooting, but he could never get himself from his belly to sitting up. Last week he started to crawl like a snow plow. He would use his face like a plow and use his arms and legs. That lasted for 1 day, on Tuesday last week, the 11th he actually crawled with his arms and legs and head up and then figured out he could sit up from there. Since then he has been sitting up all the time and he claps because he is soo excited!

The only down side to this development was the first couple of nights where he would wake up and decide he needed to sit up right away and then because he was sleepy he couldn't figure out how to lay back down and would then cry till we came in to lay him back down. That lasted for about 2 nights, then it was done. He is now able to sit up and has slept good the last couple of nights.

Today before his nap he was standing in his crib, so he is making good progress in his gross motor skills :)

He also now has 11 teeth. He cut his eye teeth on the top over Christmas/New Years and this week his first molar broke the surface. No fevers or break outs, just alot of chewing and some drool.

He is loving his toys! He loves to play and read books. He will sneak away from us and we find him in his room looking at books. Of course he also sneaks away and unrolls the toilet paper, takes books off the shelves, gets into the pens, and just the other day ate half of a crayon before I realized it.

He can scribble with a crayon and we are working on using the spoon and bowl, he is doing well with it and gets very upset when I take it away.

Discipline is still in place and he is beginning to really throw a fit when we take away something he wants, but we are learning along with him how to handle it. Tonight for example I would not let him have my phone, he screamed at me, I promptly left the room and he screamed a few more times then decided to follow me and calm down. It hasn't always been that easy though and I am learning to deal with the rearing of his independence and try to encourage it without giving him everything he wants :)

We want him to know his boundaries. He still does well with no touch and is generally still pretty laid back in attitude and happy.

Naps: he just started taking 1 nap a day, which I was not ready for, but he was. He now naps from about 1-4. Some days we still take 2 if he had a bad night, or got up really early, but it is nice for me when I have Bible study or MOPS to know he can make it till 12 without a nap and not meltdown :)

WHEW, time flies I will blog more about Christmas, New Years and my new job soon, but wanted to get this update before he gets any bigger. He is such a joy to us, and we are soo thankful that the Lord blessed us with such a wonderful little man.