Perks

Over the past few days, I've become aware of more cool things about being a parent. Here they are:

1. Line fronting. Anyone will let you "front" them in line. Grocery stores, clothing stores, Target (the mother of all stores). Anywhere. And it's not "Native American Fronting" which was popular among grade school age children during my glory days and referred to by a different title. It's straight up 'you go first' fronting. I like that! And...it gives Jack someone to look at behind him while he's sitting in the buggy.

2. Baby Life Vests. That's right. If I didn't have Jack now, I wouldn't even know that they make life preservers for children less than 30 lbs. Jack and I went to Boater's World this afternoon in search of a life jacket for him to have when we go on the boat. The guy at the store suggested that Jack would probably be into the "Child" jacket (which starts at 30 lbs) in another month or so. He said this even after I told him he currently weighs 20 pounds. Holy cow, that guy thinks babies gain 10 pounds in a month or so! Needless to say, we found a vest for Jack's size and it was so funny. Poor kiddo was up to his ear in flotation device rolling around the floor of Boater's World.

3. Baby smells. Jack's room has a distinct scent to it that is wonderful. Probably all thanks goes to the great invention of the Diaper Genie. You can't describe it the scent. I wish you could bottle it. It's just the smell of Jack and it's yum-o.

4. Conversation with strangers. No matter where you are, there's at least one baby lover around you. This person will usually seek you out and talk to you. It's nice to have conversation with someone while John's ordering the food or you're trying to occupy a fussy 7 month old.

So, parenthood is amazing. Jack just had about the most adorable 20 minute exchange of bubble blowing, lip-smacking (his newest trick), babbling with John and me. He's always the best before bedtime. I wish you all could see it. Hope you're all doing well!

Jordan

Jordan's home!!! At least for the week she is. She got in yesterday around noon and will be staying until next Sunday. We're so happy that she's here! John picked her up from the airport, and we were all able to spend the afternoon and evening with her. She and Gigi Genie are off to Boston for a few days to hopefully find a job and an apartment for when she and Trevor move there in August. They won't be close, but it's closer than Africa! Jack can't wait to visit them and go to a Red Sox game. John and I aren't too upset at the thoughts of future visits either.

Yesterday Jack and I attended our 2nd StrollerFit class. He is 2/2 of winning the loudmouth of the group award. One mother looked at me and said, "Don't worry. Mine was the fussy one last week." The bad thing was that Jack wasn't even fussy. That was his happy yelling. I fear that we might get kicked out of StrollerFit if he has a bad day!

Jack is getting to the size/age where he's a little too big for his baby bathtub, but he's a little too wobbly to sit in the big tub. Today we improvised and put him in the shower with John. You can see that John had his trunks on because it would be "weird" to wear nothing. I don't think that we'll be doing this again because 20 pounds of slippery flesh is very difficult to hold and properly clean. Nonetheless, it was fun for once and good for this picture of Jack sucking on John's shoulder.

They're Baaaack!

We're glad to announce that Gigi Genie and Uncle Jeffrey returned from their two month's stay in Puerto Rico. Johnny and Jackie are back as well from their to and from ventures. Jack was excited to see his family after they were gone for so long. We visited them yesterday afternoon all had dinner together as well. Jack performed his tricks, bubble-blowing, rolling around on the ground, and sitting. We're so excited to have the Usserys back home, safe and sound and with facial hair. Check out Jeff's unshaven face. Nice, huh?

Jack and I had a first today. We went to StrollerFit class. It's an aerobics class where you take your baby in the stroller with you. We ran, jumped, sprinted, stretched and did isometrics and band-work together. For most of the class, the babies face you in their stroller while you exercise. And you know how a lot of people make statements like "I wonder what babies are thinking?" I'm pretty sure today Jack thought that I was going to die. During parts of the class, we count in Spanish and sing different songs to the babies while we're exercising. Well, being the only first timer of the group, my singing only came out in spurts because I was just trying to breathe. We'll definitely be going back to StrollerFit. It was a great workout, and Jack seemed to enjoy it. I think he was laughing at me, not with me.


This picture was taken last week. While I was organizing Jack's closet, he was playing in the floor with some of his toys. Next thing I knew, he was nowhere to be found. Well, actually, I assumed he had to be under the crib since it's the only thing tall enough for him to roll under, and yep, there he was. Under the crib. With his mouth wide open. Not sure why he was doing that, but he did it until I pulled him out from under there. What a funny guy.

This has nothing to do with Jack or any other Ussery, but...do any of you ever watch The Food Network? There's a cooking show called "Everyday Italian" on there with a host named Giada? I know my roomies, particularly Erin McHall, know about Giada. Well, Everyday Italian is on right now as I type, and I'm reminded once again of Giada's beauty, cooking skills and seemingly good fashion. Oh, and by the way, she happens to also be about as close to perfect as you can get, and it's 100% annoying. Isn't it, Erin McHall? She says words perfectly, breaks eggs perfectly, and can measure out exactly 3/4 cups of orzo without a measuring cup. Not because she's a chef and that's her business, but because she has perfect measure. It's like perfect pitch but for cooks. She could look at a handful of cooked rice and tell you it's 1.16 cups and then convert that into the uncooked rice measurement, which only Giada knows. Sickening.

Blowout!!!

The title of this blog is "Blowout." Now, for those of you who are NCAA fans and/or personal friends or family of mine, you may have initially thought that this was written before UNC played George Mason as a joke of how bad UNC was going to beat the unheard-of school. Good thing I didn't name it Blowout for that reason because UNC was beaten by GEORGE MASON today. Holy cow, I almost cried. Okay, so maybe I did cry, but only a little. What a terrible end to a great season. I guess with such a young team we should be very proud of the overall effort and spirit of them. And we are. Go Heels! You're still #1 in our book. While we're on Tourney talk....it has been fun (outside of GMU) watching a lot of underdog teams win. However, it does leave a nice little path for you know who to come sailing through to the finish. Stinky.


And speaking of stinky....check out this picture. Doesn't it look like Jack took a massive, destructive, fire-inducing dump? Instead, this is the result of what happened when John and I almost burned the house down yesterday. My Mama and I went shopping during the afternoon, only to return to a driveway wet from recent hosing, a charred lamp from Jack's room sitting in the driveway, as well as these flame-streaked shorts. So, we put two and two together and figured out there had been a fire! Smart, aren't we? Mama (Mimi) had bought Jack a bunch of clothes, but this pair of denim shorts we had set aside because they looked too big. The plan was to try them on Jack and return them if they were a no-go. However, the plan began to go awry when I set these shorts on top of the lamp in Jack's room because there was no room on his changing table. Mistake #1. Mistake #2 occurred when John turned on the lamp while Mama and I were gone. After a while, he and my Dad smelled something burning. John ran into Jack's room where he didn't see any smoke, but he did notice the shorts on top of the lamp. John jerked the shorts off the lamp and smoke went everywhere, the windows in Jack's room were opened and a spray down of the lamp and shorts ensued in the driveway.


Now...here are the good things...1. The house did not burn down. 2. Jack was not in his room when this happened. 3. We never leave the lamp on when Jack's sleeping so there is no possibility that this could have happened when Jack was sleeping. (One of those parent things we think about to make ourselves feel better.) 4. The house now smells like toasted marshmallows.

Obviously John and I both made mistakes in fire safety. When I pulled in the driveway, my heart sank, thinking about what an idiot I was to put anything on top of a lamp, but then I felt better when I realized John had turned the lamp on. Whew! I wasn't 100% to blame! But, I still made the courtesy, "I'm so sorry. This is my fault!" comment to John...to which he replied with a curt "it's okay." And it wasn't an "it's okay" like 'it's okay...everything is fine....jack is fine....no worries." It was more an "it's okay that you're insane and didn't listen to anything you were ever taught about fires." Don't worry...I'm not revealing anything that John and I haven't discussed. We don't use the blog to air our marital communications. It's just an effort to make light of a situation that could have potentially been horrible. Praise the Lord nothing caught on fire except for a pair of jean shorts.


The best thing about this weekend was that Jack's Mimi and Grandpa Gardner came to see him! That's my parents for those who are curious. They arrived Thursday night and were able to stay until this afternoon. They took care of Jack and Scout and made both of them very happy all weekend. Here's a great picture of Jack with his grandparents. Thanks for coming to visit me, Mimi and Pops/Pop/Pipi/Poppy/Grandad/Whatever you want to be called. I love you! See you at Easter!!!

Bracketology

Another beautiful day in Bluffton, folks! It started off a little rainy, but by the end of the day, Jack and I had spent a lot of time outside, and we went on a walk with our neighbors, Susan and Ian. Jack screamed half of the time, but it was nice to get out of the house nonetheless. Unfortunately, no pictures from the stroll, but here's a cute one from yesterday morning.

This March is no different for me. The NCAA bracket is here, the emails for pools are sent, and again, I choose the dumbest teams to win. We're entering two pools each this year. One with the Usserys and Smiths, and the other with a gazillion other people whom I don't know. Either way, when it's over, they'll all know I'm a moron. Do you know who I have picked to win it all? On one, Florida. On another, Memphis. WHAT IN THE WORLD AM I THINKING? The picks were chosen this afternoon online with Jack in my lap. He hit the spacebar several times which made some choices for me, and I left them there! Each year after my horrible bracket fails miserably, I promise myself and my pride that I'll think it through, research the teams, and then make educated guesses next year. Inevitably, the choosing turns into "Ooh..Gonzaga...Yeah, that sounds good." And heaven forbid I EVER put duke past the Great Eight no matter what their record is, and of course UNC makes it to the Final Four if not the very end. Geez. There's always that little voice in my head that says, "Man, how cool will I be when Florida beats everyone and it's the Cinderella Story of a lifetime...." Right. Oh well. Here's to bracketology and those who actually put time into it. Either way, it's so much fun and by filling out a bracket, you find yourself actually caring about schools like Oral Roberts. Worst school name ever. Thanks, Pratt, for pointing that one out to me.

John's work-out update: March began 40 minutes of cardio. Still no weights in a backpack, but he's getting there! He's working out Mon., Tues., Thurs., and Frid. mornings. Encourage him if you get the chance. Jack and I are proud of his dedication!

Church, Jeep, Beach, Boat

Another great day from start to finish. Jack decided that waking up at 7am was overrated and that waking up at 5:30 would be more fun. He played in his crib until we got him out at 7. What a happy child! We found that the 5:30 rude awakening was the result of a dirty diaper. Dirty in the #2 kind of way. Can you blame him? Would you sleep through that? Geez. This picture was added to show off his big boy outfit. Isn't it cute?

Church was extra good today. There was a guest worship leader who did an awesome job and a guest speaker. The speaker is the leader of an India based mission group called GFA: Bridge of Hope. They put underprivileged children into homes and schools. I didn't realize it until today, but India still works under the caste system, where the population is organized into different categories: priests, soldiers, merchants, farmers, etc. Most of these children fall below all of these groups into the "dalits" group which means 'broken people.' They and their parents basically have no rights at all. Many of them die from murder or starvation and their children have nowhere to go. This organization hopes to rescue these children before they die themselves. The schools are taught by Christian teachers, so the children hear the Gospel and then go tell their relatives about it. John and I are proud to sponsor one of these children now. His name is Bhidhyananda Saru Magar. I wish I could show you his picture. What a cutie. Please pray for him and his family that they would come to know Christ!



When church was over, John picked up Jeffrey's Jeep and brought it home. John was sure to get some pictures of Jack sitting in the Jeep. He wanted him to get used to the feel of it or something like that. Looks like he's getting the hang of it pretty well, huh? This is such a funny picture. You could sense this certain car-loving guy thing coming from Jack already. Incredible.



The beach was 3rd on our list. We parked at the Westin and enjoyed about an hour and a half of beach time with Jack. This was our first time taking Jack during warm weather and during the day, you know...during normal beach weather, so we were anxious to see how he did. Jack was great! He loved looking at the waves crash, as much as waves crash at Hilton Head. He liked the feel of the squishy sand on his feet but he did not enjoy his hat that I made him wear. (see above picture) John and I got a lot of 'exactly how old ARE they' looks, which is fine. The older I get, the more incredible that feels. Oh, and also while we were at the beach, we were looking for Sarah Jessica Parker. She was spotted on the island this week by a friend of ours, in Walmart no less! We didn't see her, though.



Last but definitely not least was the boat ride we took with the Reeds. Jack was awakened from his 3rd car nap of the day (sorry kiddo), but he was pretty good for the trip. The weather was great, the company even better. We look forward to many cruises like this, and hopefully to many more sunny days spent outside with family and friends. Aren't Shelby and Jack so cute? Hope everyone had a good weekend!

PS Adam, thank you for your sweet phone message the other night. John and I were so proud that you were watching the game and pulling for the HEELS!!! We both gave Jack and Scout hugs and kisses from you as requested! We think you need to come visit us SOON!!! It was such a joy to hear your voice. Hope to see you soon, buddy! We miss you and love you very much!

Sunny Day

I wish every day could be like today. Sunny skies, warm temperatures, and a happy baby! There would be one change, though...UNC would have defeated Boston College instead of losing to them. What a bummer. After an ugly win last night against UVA, we just couldn't pull out a victory today. Hopefully the loss will shake the team up a bit and get them ready for the big dance. (Losers always say stuff like that don't they?) Is everyone filling out a bracket this year? We recommend it. It's fun.

John had to work today, so I guess that makes the 2nd change I would have made. But it was a very productive day for him, which is good. While John worked, Jack and I shopped. We went to the yard sale at Hilton Head High School. I say "the" yard sale because apparently it's a big deal every year. There were so many people there! We didn't find any treasures, but Jack had the best time people watching. We went to Home Goods as well where we bought a book for Jack, a stuffed fish with HUGE lips that he thought was funny, and a trash can for his room. When John got home, we finished watching the game, and went to dinner at Amigos. All in all nothing majorly exciting happened, but just a very satisfying day and evening spent with our little family. Hopefully tomorrow will be even better. Maybe we'll hit the beach!

The picture above is the best, isn't it? There's Jack in his new carseat with the most unbelievable track suit on the planet. Thanks, Trevor and Jordan, for giving it to us. Jack gets noticed a lot more when he's wearing it, which is definitely what we're aiming for. But, with more notice comes more random people who approach us and put their dirty paws directly on his face. Have you parents out there noticed that adult strangers touch your babies' faces and the stranger children grab at your babies' hands? Maybe I wouldn't be so aware of it if I didn't work in a germ pool and if John wasn't using antibacterial gel every 10 seconds. John has made a name for himself at our church because of his germ phobia. He tries different tactics each Sunday to avoid shaking the greeter's hand. He'll hold Jack in one hand, a Bible in the other or the diaper bag and Jack in other hand. Sometimes he gets away with it. He swears it's not everyone, but it's just the greeter because the greeter has had so many hands to shake. You can see it on other church member's faces when they approach us..."Oh, man, it's that guy who has the hand shake fear thing." They usually throw up an awkward wave or pat John on the arm with the back of their hand. We're the weird couple.

This has nothing to do with anything else (much like most of the blog postings), but I'm watching Larry King Live right now, and that poor guy looks like he's about to keel over! Is he alright? Anyway...hopefully we'll have some pictures from the beach tomorrow!!!

Happy Birthday, Gigi!!!

Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday, Dear Gigi!!! Happy Birthday to you! Today is Jack's Gigi's Birthday, and she's celebrating with her hubby, Jeffrey, Jackie, brothers and sisters-in-law in Puerto Rico. This picture of Jack on Gigi's shoulder was taken close to Halloween. There's no way her shoulder could take all the weight now! Gigi has been gone to PR for almost two months now, and Jack says he wants to see her soon! Today he mumbled out a few of his favorite things about Gigi. He said...

1. He likes that she is really good at basketball and that she can teach him, too.
2. He likes her secret coded emails that only he can translate.
3. He likes it when she rubs his forehead in little circles.
4. He likes knowing she's coming home soon!

Happy Birthday, Gigi! Hope that you are partying it up in Puerto Rico!!! When you get home, we'll be sure to take more pictures of you with Jack. We realized that we have very limited shots of any of Jack's grandparents! They are pretty much all of Jack with toys, Jack with Scout, Jack smiling, eating...but usually alone!

Today was a busy one for the Usserys. Wake up, work, workout, Bible Study, grocery store, sleep. Jack's was pretty much the same minus work, workout, Bible Study, and grocery store. Throw in some eating, bubble blowing, and rolling on the floor and you'd pretty much have it. Good night blog readers. Hope you have a great start to a fun Friday!

Crazy in the Face

Not long after Jack was born, we discovered that he would freak out if we blew in his face. Probably because he couldn't breathe. Understandable, right? Now his lungs have developed a little more, and he's able to take the blowing in the face game. This picture is the result of it. Jack's eyes kind of cross, and he gets the craziest look on his face. This was our entertainment last night over dinner. Hopefully he enjoyed it as much as we did.



Yesterday, Jack and I attended playgroup again. Why we call it playgroup when the children aren't old enough to play yet, I don't know. It's more like 'Moms get out of the house before they are committed' group. But, some serious rolling does take place. Here is Jack with his newest pal, Carson Rowe. Carson is two months old, and he's adorable! His parents, Matt and Dana, grew up on Hilton Head as well. We're excited about our boys playing together now and in the future. Whenever I take these pictures, I think about them one day being used in yearbooks and stuff like that. I LOVE IT. Don't you love Carson's hair? Jack is obviously feeling a little self conscious with his shiner next to Carson's dark locks.

I was ashamed today to see that the "Bluffton Today" puts horoscopes in their newspaper. Today as I read a few of them, I was reminded of how much bologna they are. (You're asking yourself why I read it when it's bologna, aren't you?) I think the folks who write these are feeling a little less confident these days. Aren't they usually little warnings shedding some light into the future to tell us what's up ahead? Like "Charm will work wonders for you today. You will be in demand and very influential." But now...the definitives have turned into 'no-duhs.' Here was my horoscope today. (Hold onto your socks because they're about to get knocked off). "If you make some physical changes to your home then you will feel good." What kind of horoscope is that? Can you use an If-Then statement in a horoscope? Of course if I made physical changes to my home I would feel good about it. Who paints a room, hangs some pictures and doesn't feel good about it? That's like saying "If you can't swim and you jump in a lake today, you're gonna die." Alas, the absurdity of horoscopes abounds. Unfortunately the absurdity has arrived in Bluffton.

Elated and Water-Logged

Told you it would be better when we beat duke at cameron! And on Senior night! The Tarheels completely ruined Senior night at Cameron. Wow. My fingers felt like they had magic powers when they just typed that. Holy cow, John and I are so happy about the win we can hardly think straight. The excitement of the game put us in a trance last night. We were saying things that didn't make sense or were either meant to be witty but didn't come out right. For instance, when Frasor hit one of his 3-pointers, John yelled "whipped cream supreme", and later referred to Frasor as his "little, white hero!" The things I yelled actually did make sense, but they were mostly derogatory (and ridiculous) comments against the devils. "Quit showing the stupid fans and show the GAME!!!!" "If I see one more clip of jj redick during a time out, I'm gonna throw up!" Tyler Hansbrough was amazing, wasn't he? I wonder how our Heels' freshmen feel after outscoring the seniors of the #1 ranked team in the country. But, it wasn't the Tarheel's athleticism, hustle, coaching or determination that pulled out the 'Dub'. No....we have the great jj to thank for the 'emotional fatigue' he's suffering from. Did anyone else experience palpitations the 57th time one of the announcers accredited jj's poor performance to the distress of breaking the ACC scoring record? They kept commenting about this so-called emotional fatigue as if he'd been working with Katrina victims for the past 6 months. Can't the guy just have a bad night without some excuse? I think so. And that's exactly what happened last night, along with our Heels stompin' the junk out of each and every devil that hit the floor and I love it so much I can barely stand it. Can't wait for the Tournament! Go Heels!


Jack has also sensed the "sweet nectar that is victory" today. (Another phrase that fell from the lips of my husband last night! John is obviously insane!) After the win, John and I went into Jack's room where he was sleeping and whispered to him that UNC had won and that dook stinks. He wiggled in approval. To celebrate Jack's first UNC-dook victory, we upgraded his carseat today AND took him swimming for the first time. In an indoor pool, don't worry. The water was a little chilly, but he kicked and slapped the water like he was having fun. On the way home after the swim, Jack was asleep before we every drove out of Berkeley Hall. In his new, safe, huge carseat.

Rematch

Even Jack has his 'don't mess with me' face going on today. We made him chew leather this morning instead of eating the usual rice cereal and fruit combo. We thought it would get him ready for the big game tonight. Speaking of the game, I have to give a blog shout out to Jordan and Trevor for their loyalty to NCAA basketball. They're in South Africa where the time is seven hours ahead of us. We're watching the game at 9pm tonight. The game starts at 4am there, and folks, they're still watching. That is serious. John, Jack and I cannot measure our pride in words or units.

The shaky-leg syndrome has taken over our household again today on this UNC-duke game morning. It's like our love of the Tarheels and dislike of the devils is so tangled and tortuous that we can't seem to channel our energies with any cohesion. After reading a fellow Tarheel's blog after the last UNC-duke meeting, I was given a few things to think about to help, as he put it, these feelings "permeate every cell in your Carolina blue soul until you're a giant biomass of IHATEDOOK." Here's what was offered:

Think about how it's all about ratface. (You know who we're referring to.)
Think about how they named a center of leadership and ethics after him.
Think about Redick's off-arm push-off on every other drive.
Think about how Vitale and Patrick will sing his praises to the highest heavens.
Think about Paulus' off-arm push-off on EVERY drive, and his dumb black headband.
Think about Sheldon Williams and the fouls they won't call on him.
Think about how he'll assault Tyler Hansbrough without any penalty.
Think about how dook will be allowed to slap, bump and dive on every defensive possession.
Think about how dook will be allowed to slap, bump and dive on every offensive possession.
Think about how Sean Dockery will go flying across the court to "save" a loose ball that's 35 feet away.
Think about how hard, and with what primal enthusiasm, his teammates will subsequently embrace him.
Think about Montross' bloody face. (That one always gets me.)
Think about Stack's baseline dunk.
Think about Dahntay Jones' three stitch-producing facescrape to the great Raymond Felton.
Think about how, after that incident, dook scrub Andre Buckner PUSHED OUR COACH WITH TWO HANDS, ON TELEVISION, IN FRONT OF MILLIONS OF VIEWERS, and not only did not receive a technical, but was praised afterwards by his coach as a "peacemaker."
Think about Wojo and his slapping of the floor at coach k court (the center of leadership and ethics, remember.)
Think about Chris Collins. Nothing in particular, but just Chris Collins.

This has helped us to collect ourselves for tonight's event. Maybe it's relieved you of some ambivalence, apathy, whatever. Either way, eat a balanced diet, take your vitamins, drink lots of fluids and get a head start on pulling for the HEELS!!!!

79-74

Let's go ahead and get it over with. duke lost last night to Florida State, and it was a shining moment for the Usserys and every other UNC fan. Except for those "UNC Fans" who are fans of every team that's good, including duke. You guys are in a category of your own. It's called "Heartless." Seriously. Pick a team and go with it. Even if it's duke. I mean it. You pull for them, and you pull hard. You cheer for them in football, soccer, track and field, all areas, you cheer. Okay so back to FSU and how they're awesome. I read an article on espn.com about how duke got "homered." It's a term the writer made up meaning when a team gets taken advantage of at the other school's home gym. Sort of a mob mentality taking over the refs or something. They get caught up in the atmosphere and call more fouls against the visiting team, let fouls against the home team go unnoticed and the like. Is anyone catching the absurdity of this? DUKE getting homered? Who is Mr. ESPN writer kidding? They may as well call it, "Cameron Indoor: Without a doubt, You're gonna get Homered" Anyone else looking forward to Saturday?



This picture of Jack was taken yesterday in our back yard. We think he's going to be quite the nature boy. Whenever Jack's fussy, we step outside with him and whamo, he's happy. He's been like that since infancy. As you can see, he's sitting on his own (at least for a few moments). Here are his 6 month accomplishments: sitting on his own for a few seconds, transferring objects from hand to hand, rolling both ways (not left and right, but front and back), cooing, laughing and babbling, and smiling at a mirror. I have a head's up on these things since I work at our pediatrician's office. Most parents get in there not having a clue what developmental questions we'll be asking. But we have the advantage of working on Jack's sitting and laughing. If he hasn't gotten it down by the time of the appointment, John and I can still practice our "yes" lie. (joke...everyone knows Jack is advanced for his size and age).

John has bumped up to 40 minutes of cardio for the month of March. Don't worry, he's not yet working with the backpack of weights. You'll get your pictures. The latest Mont Blanc purchase was Capilene socks. 9 pair. Maybe John got some advice from Lt. Dan from Forrest Gump. When Forrest and Bubba arrived in Vietnam, Lt. Dan dan had two rules: 1. Don't get yourselves killed and 2. Take care of your feet. John and his friends have to turn in their applications to the guide service next Tuesday. They're using the American Alpine Institute as their guide service. John says if you google it, you'll find it. The mountain is very beautiful. Hopefully they'll be able to get some great pictures. FROM THE TOP! Do it, baby!

One last mention about you know who not winning against FSU...I know the picture of Al Thornton dunking it over McNugget's head is small, but do you see who's little darling face is watching from below as well? Hint: His first name consists of two letters. In fact, two of the same letter. None of which are in the phrase: duke lost and Tyler Hansbrough is the man. You figure it out.

Happy Birthday, Grand-Papa Johnny!

Today is Jack's Grandpa Ussery's birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GRANDPA! Jack picked this picture to show that his grandad lets him do whatever he wants, like eating Ruffles potato chips. I can't tell you how many times Jack has whined to me, "Mama, I want some chips!" "But Jack, you don't have teeth!"...."Well Grandpa doesn't mind." So forth and so on. In previous 'Happy Birthday' blogs, I've always mentioned which particular birthday it is that the person is celebrating. It's usually not a good idea to mention that past the age of 29, so I'll tell this story instead. One day Johnny was at our house for a visit. A while after he left, I was in the yard talking to our neighbor, Clarke. Clarke said that he had seen John's brother at our house earlier that day. Well, no, Clarke, Jeffrey was not here today. He then described what 'Jeffrey' was wearing and the car he drove. Turns out...it was Johnny! I couldn't convince Clarke that the man he saw was John's dad. Clarke was convinced that Johnny was no older than 27. TWENTY-SEVEN! Now that's a compliment. Needless to say, Johnny and Clarke are now best friends. (not really) So, to Grandpa Ussery/Johnny/Dad, we hope you have a wonderful birthday! Here's to your 28th year of life! :)

The weather is beautiful here today. High of 78! Can you believe it? Jack went without socks yesterday, and he seemed a little more free-spirited. I think we'll do the same today. He also wore a short sleeve shirt that's a 12 month size. It barely fit! I bought these shirts earlier this year thinking that they would fit him for the summer. Unless he experiences a growth stunt, we've got some shopping to do.

The "Bluffton Today" featured an interesting article this morning. Two guys came home to find an injured bird in their yard. You're probably picturing a small little finch or something. No way, baby. This is Bigger, Better Bluffton. It was a baby bald eagle! Isn't that cool? Who finds an eagle in their yard? This could only happen to a redneck. Seriously. Rednecks get all the action. Most natural disasters, freakish deaths, and mysterious illnesses happen only to rednecks. Have you ever heard of a redneck dying from something common like a heart attack? No way. "Ol' Billy died cause his liver blew up." People would assume that Billy may have been an alcoholic, had cirrhosis, an enlarged liver perhaps. But really, Billy's liver actually exploded. At least that's what they tell us. If you're ever bored by life, hang out with some rednecks. By the way, they named the eagle, "Foreman."

Hey bloggers, you know what Saturday is? It's UNC vs. Richard Nixon's alma mater. That's right. We can technically blame Watergate on duke and their teachings. Did any of you catch it the other day when jj reddiculous was trying to set a new ACC scoring record (big deal, right?)? duke was playing Temple, and they might as well have substituted Temple's score slot with "points remaining before jj beats the record and everyone goes crazy". Poor Temple. Here they are playing pretty well and when they finally have their chance at the foul line, they show some clip of jj saying how it's going to feel when he breaks the record instead of showing the Temple shooter. Typical, I know. After the game if they had showed some edited clips of jj's 3-point shooting with background inspirational music like "One Moment in Time", MY liver may very well have blown up.

Jack just woke up from his nap. I'm off to read the bald eagle article to him. He enjoys playing with the newspaper more than anything. There's nothing like little, baby newsprint fingers. Pull for the Heels against the Cavaliers tonight!!!!

Shots

This picture was chosen because this is how we want to remember Jack today. The smiles, laughter, and playtime pictured here will not be on Jack's list of 'things to do' today. We just returned from his six month check-up where he received two immunizations (aka SHOTS!!!!!)! He's not happy with us to say the least. In fact, he's sleeping so he won't have to look at us.

Everything went well at his visit. When Dr. Salyer walked in the room, her first comment was, "He's a big baby!" And his measurements put tangible truth to her observation. Indeed, Jack is a big baby. He's 26.5 in long, 19lb 3 oz and his head is 17.5 in. around. That puts him in the 50-75% for his height, 75% for his weight, and 25% for his head. So, Jack is bigger than average for his size, but his brain must be small. Maybe he'll be a jock:) Or maybe his brain just uses his cranial cavity very efficiently. Yes, that's got to be it!

The Ussery family had a good weekend, despite the fact that we were all under the weather on Sunday. Between the three of us, we had sinus congestion, sinus headaches, runny noses, sore throats, and rashes. Don't worry, Jack had the latter. But, we're all feeling better today! We went to the Reed's on Saturday night for pizza and games. The games were fun, but watching Jack cry at Shelby and Neely was the most fun. I would have posted pictures of it, but unfortunately, I broke our camera that night! I'm just sick over it! What a clutz! I can't hold onto anything these days. It's a miracle that Jack hasn't been dropped yet. Hopefully we'll get it fixed soon and I'll get to post some more pictures. Until next time!

Beach in February

John had a great idea tonight. We both got off of work at decent times, packed up the kids and headed to the beach! Jack stayed in the Baby Bjorn with me and watched Scout run up and down the beach, chasing his tennis ball. Scout really is improving on his fetching skills. However, he has yet to learn proper beach bathroom behavior. Everytime we go, he sniffs around the sand for a minute or two and then...he poops. Always. John and I forget to take a pick-up bag. Always. So we get the inevitable dirty looks from passerby who are obviously tourists and probably cat lovers. It's obviously our fault, but shouldn't Scout's beauty and Jack's cuteness count for something? Here's a great picture of John and Scout. It looks like Scout's getting a fetch lesson.

We've been glued to the Olympics this week again. It's just so tempting to look at the results before we get to see them. With a baby, it's hard to stay awake to watch the good stuff, but somehow we manage to catch the exciting events. Like tonight's exhibition men's figure skating. What in the world? Let's congratulate the olympic athletes, who have slaved for 4 years by making them do their routine just one more time. What happened to a party? A sheet cake from the local grocery store saying "Congratulations!!! You did it" in shaky, icing cursive? Not at the Olympics. They are too hard core for the Usserys. Instead of watching the exhibitions, we opted for America's Funniest Videos. A proposal segment just aired where various men were popping the question to their ladies. Our favorite was the guy who asked his wife to rub his back. When he took his shirt off, his girlfriend read "Marry Me", which had been shaved into his back hair. The best part...she cried tears of JOY. It's a mix of emotions when you go from a pride-swelling moment of watching an American win the silver in 10000m speedskating to the language of love spelled out through back hair.

Hope your night has been as fun and interesting as ours.

4th Offense

Thank you, Lord, for this beautiful day! The weather is incredible here in Bluffton. Jack, Scout and I took advantage of it this afternoon and spent some time outside. We found out that the exersaucer can go off road, that we need to de-poop the yard from Scout's business, and that Jack doesn't like it when he rubs sunscreen in his eyes. Everyone loves the smell of Coppertone, right? Imangine that mixed with baby smell. It's the greatest.

Scout had his fourth offense today. I had him connected to the in-ground dog spike thing. It's basically redneck dog security. There's a long metal spike that you put in the ground. To that you attach a plastic covered metal wire, and to that, you connect your dog. Well, Scout loves it. (Except when he gets wrapped around a tree) However, today he had too much fun. I brought Jack inside to watch Baby Einstein, and I was on the phone with Kim. When I went back outside, Scout had dug the whole that you see here and was lying in it! He's never done that before. He's dug at the beach in the sand, but never in our yard!!! But, you'd be proud. I didn't kick it into the Scout's about to die protocol like usual. I did call John and tell him what his dog had done. Other than that, Scout got a mini bath outside and his picture taken by his trophy hole. He looks proud, doesn't he?

To end on a better note than Scout's misbehavior, here's a cute picture of Jack's feet. Since he was born in August, we went into the cooler months pretty soon thereafter. His feet rarely get any free time away from socks. Aren't his feet really cute? He's grown into them since birth a bit. Last night when we were watching Sasha Cohen kick butt in figure skating (is that possible?), I randomly thought how cute infant figure skates would be. Wouldn't that be adorable? Of course the blades would cause a problem, but just to look at them would be fun.

Boogers and Tennis Balls

This used to be Jack's playground. His numero uno favorite toy. Alas, it has been replaced by the exersaucer. The other day we blew the dust off, pulled it out of storage (out from under our bed) and let him play with it again. He stared at the toy confused as if he had never seen the thing before. Slowly, Jack started half-way playing with it. He reminded me of an 11-year old riding the "It's a Small World" ride at Disney. Upset cause he's a little too old for it, but secretly LOVING IT!!! We did learn, however, to place the toy on the ground from now on, because this is how we found Jack after leaving him for a few minutes on the bed! We barely avoided his first tumble! AHHH!
Jack officially has his first cold. He didn't sleep well last night. I could hear some random outbursts, tossing and turning over the monitor. Nothing lasted longer than a few minutes, and he went back to sleep. But, I knew something wasn't right. This morning we discovered that Jack had some fun boogers glued to his face, and we spent a greater part of today wiping his nose. John and I had a discussion tonight about illness and the conversations/thoughts that follow after the discovery of one. Why do people (mainly parents) immediately start wondering where or from whom the illness has come? Why should it matter? "Oh, I bet Jack got sick from our trip to Target, cause I'm pretty sure I didn't sanitize my hands after pushing the buggy." or "So-and-so's baby had a cough and we were with them a few days ago, so that's what happened." Should we then take our speculations to the source and culture the bacteria(s) from Target carts and other kid's noses to chart out an action plan? I guess we're all trying to put the blame anywhere but on ourselves, huh:)

"The Island Packed" featured an article today about sleep disturbances. It listed several common causes such as bathroom breaks and snoring spouses. Under each cause were possible solutions. So I'm thinking sleep apnea machines and breathe-right strips would be under the snoring column. Nope. Instead, they suggested that you sew tennis balls in the back of your pajamas to keep you from sleeping on your back, which is the common snoring position. Can you just picture it? Thousands of Sun City residents rushing to the nearest Walmart to buy tennis balls and thread. Poor old men walking around the house tonight in their satin pajama sets, ruined (outfit and soul), with tennis balls stuck to their backs. Pathetic, really.


Another pitiful scene is that of Jack having to wear the feminine product look-alike that is pictured here. He's playing with the newest addition of baby products to the Ussery home: the Diaper Doubler. If you've been reading the blog regularly, you've read that Jack has a little bedwetting problem. Well, Jennie introduced us to the 'Dub' last week, and we're believers now. He's stayed dry 2 of the 3 nights that we've used it. The one night it failed was more of an adjustment issue on our part. Thanks, Jennie!

Go US women's figure skaters!!!! We're off to tune in.

Mr. Potter...No, not Harry.

This is how Jack travels around the house. He weighs so much (I'm guessing around 18 pounds) that we can't manage carrying him. If we're doing anything for an extended amount of time, such as cleaning the bathrooms or cooking, he gets to tag along in his high chair. Whenever I push him around I feel like his maid. Like he's an old, rich man in an ornate wooden wheelchair who is about to ask me to light his stinky cigar before he signs some important contract. Very similar to Mr. Potter from "It's a Wonderful Life." You know, the mean banker who tries to shut the Bailey Brothers' bank down. (I'm getting mad all over again just thinking about the injustice.) John and I play the role of the no name guy who wheels Mr. Potter around. I'm just waiting for a chubby little arm to start pointing me in the direction he wants to go.

The weather was blah in Bluffton today. Cloudy and chilly. Jack and I went to lunch with some of my girlfriends. He's getting better with his restaurant etiquette. The wooden high chairs are now an option for us, and he interacts with the people at surrounding tables. That's a good thing, too. Where we used to get the "Oh no, here comes a baby" glare, we now get excited faces because Jack will flash anyone his debonair smile. He smiles all the time.
I finally bathed Jack today.
It's been a week I'm ashamed to admit. But, really, what does he do to get dirty? We keep the nether regions cleaned from multiple diaper changes a day, and we clean his hands and face several times as well. That's good enough, right? He obviously enjoys his time in the water. Just after this picture was taken, Jack peed in his own face. He looked up at me confused as if he was thinking, "Where did THAT come from?" Boys will be boys.

Rainy Days and Mondays

First of all, it's not raining. In fact, it's a beautiful day out. Chilly for Bluffton, but clear, blue skies. Secondly, it's Sunday, not Monday. So why is the title of today's blog "Rainy Days and Mondays"? Answer: I've got that song by the Carpenter's in my head, and I can't get it out! Somebody help me!!!! Don't get me wrong. I love the Carpenter's. Their greatest hits CD is in my car right now. But I'm not a fan of having the same thing playing over and over and over in my mind. Usually singing a song out loud helps, but John will shoot me if he hears the Carpenter's one more time. And I'm not getting on his bad side today, because blog readers, John vacuumed and mopped the floors today. INCREDIBLE!!!! I went to the grocery store and came back to find the indescribably beautiful scene of Lysol suds running down our driveway. Usually that means Scout has done something unbelievably horrible and it required antiseptic treatments. Not today. John was in the mood to be awesome, I suppose.

Jackie has been with us for for the past two nights, and we're excited to report that she's staying another evening. We love it when she's here. She's funny, entertaining, great with Jack and Scout, and the girl doesn't complain about anything. A tree could have fallen through the guest bedroom during the middle of an electrical storm last night leaving her to sleep cold, wet and in danger. Her reply would have been, "Oh, it wasn't bad." One of her many great qualities. Last night gave John and me a small glimpse of what it will be like to raise a teen. Jackie had plans to eat dinner and catch a movie with Mary Ellen. Safe enough, right? But it was cold and rainy outside, and Jackie had only brought warmer weather clothes. So what did we make her do? Change into a pair of my pants (keep in mind she's 5'8'' and I'm 5'5''). And change her socks to warmer socks. And change into waterproof shoes. And make sure she had her jacket on. Not until she headed out the door did we realize what had transpired. We are parents, and we're making those annoying parent remarks. "Wear your coat, wear your toboggan, who cares if you're wearing high-waters?" Luckily the theaters are dark. Sorry, Jackie. But you were warm and dry, right?
Church today was really good. We went to the 9:30 service and learned more about how God has shaped us all uniquely to fulfill the different needs of others and our church body. Jack is now 0/5 in bad nursery behavior. In fact, he has been the model almost 6 month old today. Little fussing, lots of smiles and bubble blowing. He was showing off for his Great-Grandma Catherine. John, Jackie, Jack and I took her to Skilletz for lunch. She seemed to have a really good time watching Jack, especially when he was eating. He always puts on a show. This was a fun picture of the 4 of them. Jack's doing his bashful head tuck that he does after he smiles. What a good Sunday!

We're hosting our church small group at our house tonight. Since we're the only parents (yet) in the group, it's easier to have all of Jack's toys and his crib around. Should be fun. Gotta go. I hear the familiar crinkle of a Cadbury Mini Eggs bag coming from the pantry. John has not been abiding by the "2006: Year of Good Ussery Teeth" rules. But should I get onto him and risk the chance that he won't mop the floor again? Oh, I guess a little root canal never hurt anybody.

Happy Birthday, Shelby!!!

Today is Shelby Reed's first birthday! Happy Birthday, Shelby!!! Jack and I went to her fabulous birthday party this afternoon and had such a great time! It was Jack's first birthday party. I'm sure the first of many. He had so much fun watching all of the other children. We managed to escape with only a little cake in our hair. Yes, OUR hair. Not sure how that happened. Here's the cutest picture of Shelby. They stripped her down and gave her a cake of her own to dive into. Everyone was looking at her, and I think the attention got to her a little. The song, "It's My Party and I'll Cry if I Want To" should have been playing. This is one of the few times I have heard/seen Shelby cry. She's such a cutie. Here's another picture of the two of them. Jack seems more interested in the spoon than in Shelby. I'm sure one day that will change. Kim said he was reaching for the Clemson orange. I don't think so.


Jackie is spending the weekend with us, and it's been so much fun to have her here. Scout is very excited. He gets to sleep with someone who won't kick him out of the bed for a change. Jack tried his best this morning to keep Jackie and Scout from sleeping in, but apparently Jackie sleeps like the dead. Jack's nearly 6 month scream is on the same decible level as a jet engine starting in your living room (or bathroom, whichever gets the best echo going). Here's the trio after they woke up.


The next picture would lead you to believe that it's 40 below in SC. But...we tricked you!!!! It's 72 and cloudy. However, that doesn't mean that you can't put on your mountaineering gear. John received his latest Mont Blanc (or Mont Bluffton, as shown) gear in the mail today. The super-duper gloves that you see are THE gloves that John will be wearing as he climbs the mountain. He looks good in the red jacket, huh?