Suckers and Hand Holding

This past weekend, all 7 of my Sr. year college roommates came to visit. We didn't do much other than hang out, talk, catch up, lay out, and spend some good ol' girl time together. Which was perfect. And fun. And much needed. Thanks, friends, for making the trek to Hilton Head to visit. Please come again soon!!! Here's a picture of the gang. (I'm the big one:)


Jack has been as entertaining the last few weeks as always. He got a tricycle, which has been fun. It's got a push bar on the back so John and I can push him without bending over and inevitably falling. Jack can't quite figure out how to pedal, but he enjoys it anyway. He also got a helmet, which is the funniest thing you could ever imagine seeing. It's the only thing he will let you put on his head without having a full out tantrum. It's odd. I would definitely prefer to wear a baseball hat. Maybe he feels cool in his helmet? I'm sure that will change one day soon. I'll post a trike n' helmet picture soon.

Jack's big boy bed has arrived! He's still in the crib for the time being. We're so nervous that he's going to climb out of the bed and ruin his good sleeping habits. Maybe we'll put him in it sometime in June or July. We'll see. I'll post a picture of his room soon. We still have to paint it and decorate it, which will be fun.

Here are the Ussery men with their suckers. This is a treat we give to him only occasionally. He had his first sucker experience after his last doctor's visit. It only took one, and now he's hooked.


And here's the latest Shelby/Jack picture. They sometimes hold hands, which is so adorable. Jack has started reaching up for our hands when we're walking around. I love it. Dirty fingernails, sticky palms and all. It's one of the many fun things to experience as a parent. Jack is usually wanting to show his independence these days, but ever so often, he'll reach up with his chubby fingers to remind us that he still needs help. He can get so frustrated when he can't do something, so we're working on him asking for 'help, please', which usually comes out as "hep peas."


One more funny Jack story: The other day Papa Johnny and Gigi were over for a quick visit. We had just walked Scout and were showing them how Jack likes to play "Santa" and give Scout his treats when he's finished doing his doggy business in the yard. We also informed them that Jack will sometimes eat the treat himself instead of giving it to the dog. So, we give Jack the treat and tell him to give it to Scout. He puts the treat to his lips and looks at us. I tell him, "Don't put that in your mouth." He looks at the treat, looks at me, looks at the treat again. Then....the runs to his time out corner, sits down and starts eating the dog treat! It's like he weighed the options and figured that the dog treat was worth a few minutes in time out. Unbelievable.

Tonight we're going to Jackie's high school graduation! Congratulations, Jackie! We're so proud of you and we will miss you so much next year! Go Wolfpack! (And Tarheels, of course!)

Sweet Tea

Since Easter we have been on the road again. Go ahead. Sing the song. It's a good one. John, Jack and I went to Atlanta with Gigi and Papa Johnny to see Jeffrey play against the Wolfpack. Georgia Tech swept the series with 3 wins, which was great. Jack was a handful for the first game. He wanted to climb up and down the bleachers while throwing his sippy cups and raisins all over everybody. Luckily, most of the folks there remembered what it's like to have a 20 month old and no one punched us in the face for bringing him along. The Sunday game went much more smoothly as we learned that Jack does better if he has some room to roam. He liked screaming towards the ball field whenever the crowd would get into a play or whenever they were arguing a call from the umps.

Here's the visual synopsis:



Jack is getting more and more attached to his Daddy. John will catch him imitating his motions. If John's sitting on the couch, Jack wants to. If John has his legs crossed, Jack crosses his. This picture was taken after Jack's first encounter with Dippin' Dots. He liked them! He'd take a bite, rub his tummy and say "UMMMM!!!"

After the games at GT, the players stand along the fence to sign autographs for most of the little boys and girls that have come to watch. Jack enjoys playing on the field and running in the grass.

Three Men and a Baby

Bathtime continues to be one of Jack's favorite things. He calls it, "Baaf", like he's a Brit who can't pronounce the 'th' sound.

Jack got yet another haircut last Wednesday. This was the most trying time yet in the hair cutting chair. We didn't go back to the place with the cool plane seat, but went back to our roots at Tara's where the lady does the best job and has the most patience. Patience trumps cool chair. After the haircut, we came home, brushed all the loose hairs off and turned on the bubble machine.

This was the beginning of Jack's first Jeep Ride. We put his carseat in the back and went for a short drive across 278 to MiTierras (our favorite Mexican restaurant). John and I both asked ourselves if that was a good idea or not, but he drove very slowly and we only drove 1 mile total. But who did we run into at MiTierra's but the pediatrician that I work for and his family who had a nice view of the parking lot while we drove in. We managed to escape without any scolding and with only one comment, "We didn't know you had a Jeep!" It's not ours, though. Needless to say, Jack loved the ride and returned home safe and sound.

Just a cute picture of Jack and John.


This is Jack with Gammy, my grandmother. We visited with her several times while we were in Greensboro this past weekend for my cousin, Josh's, wedding. Here Jack got a taste of sweet tea, decaf, of course. And he loved it....of course. And that's all he wanted from then on out....of course. And then someone who will remain nameless decided to give him caffeinated sweet tea. Not a good idea. He's hyper enough without drugs. I guess his Southern blood couldn't resist the yummy nectar that is sweet tea. We had a good trip seeing a lot of our family. Thanks for entertaining us all weekend!!!

I made the HORRIBLE mistake of forgetting Jack's Elmo at home when we left for Greensboro. But Mimi and Poppy came through and bought Jack his 3rd Elmo. He seemed to know the difference but at least we had something to offer him when he would ask for his precious Melmo. Well....when we got back home to Bluffton on Monday, I was changing Jack's diaper and he yells, "Melmo???? Where are you????" very clearly. I've never heard him say that before. It was so funny and cute.

Baby #2 Update: We had our 20 week ultrasound this morning. The baby is measuring right on target for his/her September 22nd due date. We did not find out the sex of the baby, but we're feeling strongly that it's a boy. We'll see! I'll try to post pictures if I can figure out how to do that! We got some great shots of his/her feet and one cute profile of the baby sucking their thumb. Halfway there!