Jac is TEN!

A decade (omg) ago, I gave birth to my first baby. I was a bit emotional today, realizing that the baby stage really does vanish overnight into a toddler, which vanishes into big kids, then adults, etc. He was just a tiny baby, like, yesterday, and now he's less than halfway an adult. Unreal. As much as I'm ready for Elias to communicate in a language that isn't Screamish or Whinese, I know it'll soon be over and I'll be baking my last cake for a last 10-year-old.

Note: Elias is wearing the same outfit Jac did on his first birthday.

Jac requested a birthday breakfast of beignets, so Zac fried them up while I took a bath. I pulled a prank on my Bud, convincing him he was not, in fact, getting a computer for his birthday. All he's wanted since Christmas is a computer of his very own, something he can play games on or do school with, even start up his own journal like Mama. I bought a Slip n' Slide from Walmart about a month ago. It came in a slightly heavy square box, similar to that of a computer. I had Jac close his eyes and tell me what he thought it was. "A computer?" he asked, hopefully. After opening his eyes and realizing it was just an outdoor water toy, I could see the disappointment. However, he was such a good sport. He thanked Zac and me anyway, gave us a hug and I told him he could play on it with Leah later this evening. I felt terrible, by the way. I mean, I know he likes little pranks, but as his mama, my heart broke for him a little.

We headed to the science museum, a surprise to Jac, though Leah knew and kept it super secret. The last time we went was back in 2012. We walked the hiking trail and saw two snakes in their too-close-for-comfort natural habitat, then took our time browsing all the propped animals and insects and fish. Elias was surprisingly quiet for the visit, observing everything. Since it was Jac's birthday, a cashier at the gift shop let him pick out a free critter. He had the option of choosing one big one or two small ones, so he chose two small insects (an ant and a butterfly) and gave the butterfly to Leah. Cue heart-explosion.

flea

Mom treated us to lunch at Olive Garden and Jac was given a free dessert (chocolate lasagna!), which he shared with all of us. His reason was that it was "too rich" and he was saving room for macarons and birthday cake. My parents headed home after lunch while Zac brought us to La Brioche to pick out the macarons. The big kids picked out pina colada Chaja cakes and an assortment of macaron flavors. The raspberry is still my absolute favorite. It's hard to top it.

After we arrived at the house, I decided it was time to give Jac his computer gift before sending him out to play with Leah in the water. I set the computer box in a chair and had him go near it to move things around and the poor dude didn't even notice it until he practically sat on it, hah! He opened it and almost cried, he was so happy. As bad as I felt for tricking him, I think it was worth it for his priceless reaction.

Check-ups

I brought Elias to the doctor yesterday and he's healthy as ever. His little finger was pricked and he immediately ate the bandaid, or whatever I couldn't scoop out of his very clenched mouth. He weighs 21 pounds and is about 28 inches long. And his top teeth are peeking through the gums! He's a little on the short side, but so are the big kids. 

Speaking of my big kids, they're the proud wearers of glasses now. Jac is near-sighted and Leah is far-sighted. They look so adorable. Jac picked out blue metal frames and Leah picked out crystal-blue plastic frames. I thought she'd go for purple, but the blue look so cute on her.

Mother's Day & Eli, nine months

Mother's Day has passed. Zac cooked French toast and the kids gave me chocolates and an Amiibo (Lottie). We went to church so Eli could be dedicated. I'm still not certain what "dedication" means, but it was something to do. We ate lunch at Fernando's and did some grocery shopping before heading home to relax.

Eli is nine months old now. He says Mama, bub (which we think is boob or bottle), Dada, and very loud "ahhhhh" sounds to get our attention. He's got two teeth on the bottom-front gums. Lately he's been testing his balance by pulling himself up to stand and letting go of what he's holding on to. He's a fast crawler and so very stubborn determined. I'm weaning him slowly as he's been biting me during feedings. I still breastfeed at night since he still wakes up once or twice, though I've been keeping a bottle by my bed. He plays peek-a-boo and I'm teaching him "bye bye" and "high five".

The change in his face is crazy from newborn to now. He looks more like a toddler when I compare them.

Kiddos: brag post

I'm lucky I have the kids I have. While I may get stressed out now and then, I do realize that they're pretty great. I'm biased, of course, but seriously... With my big kids, I never have to trick them to eat their vegetables. They love all of them. They love fruit. Leah has a sweet tooth, but doesn't throw a fit if she's denied a sugar fix. I never had to deal with public tantrums (they saved them for the privacy of our own home, lucky for me, as no one ever believed me, haha). 

I never had to baby-proof anything. They both just stayed on the play mat, occupied with their toys. While I get sass once in a while, they're so loving and thoughtful and affectionate. They go to bed when they're told, though they do procrastinate to ask questions or tell me some random fact about Pokemon, but it's not a struggle. Elias, I'm sure will make me come back to this entry and edit a few notes. He's very much showing signs of mischief. With lights-and-sounds toys scattered around him, he'd rather chew on a safety pin. If he has something that makes music, he wants a box. But he's so intelligent. He knows exactly what he wants and does not want the generic version. He clings to me, and while it may be exhausting, I know one day he'll push me away. And he's funny! He has a sense of humor. He tries to make himself cry, so he'll make the face and sounds, but start laughing. I'm truly blessed.

Louisiana Trip

We just got home from the rainiest weekend in Louisiana. It rained every single day and even flooded a bit in the south shore. We had fun, though. Jessie and Joey invited us over to hang out a while. The kids played Pokemon cards and we went to eat seafood for lunch. We went to attend a fair at Orrin's school and watch him perform a song with his classmates. The kids were hopeful to play games and such, but the rain was too much. The streets were flooded a few inches deep, much to my surprise as a Louisiana native. Jessie had to work, so we headed back over the lake to Sean's.

We are officially finished with this school year! I'm going to start the next grades August 1st. For now, we're going to enjoy this break.