Dear Jax, You are 6 months...

Dear Jax,

You're 6 months old. Wow, that went fast. It was not too long ago that you were sleeping 6 hours at a time, I was crying everytime you wanted to eat, and the world was a blur. You've since grown out of all of that, and now you are like a little boy. You started sitting up on your 5 month birthday!  And since then it's been amazing.

Your favorite things to do are:

1. Sit up like a big boy and dump out the entire box of toys in front of you, very exciting.
2. Army crawl around the house, mainly backwards. You back yourself into corners all the time, and then you yell at people in hopes they'll rescue you. I'm hoping you outgrow this before you leave for college.
3. Growl. Seriously, you don't giggle, you just straight up low-pitched growl with a huge grin on your face.
4. EAT!  You love to munch on whatever Mama will allow. So far, green beans, peas, bananas, butternut squash, and the boob.
5. Bounce!  Whether it's in your chair, the Johnny Jumper, or in someone's arms, you love to move.

Your least favorite things to do are:
1. Sit still, very still, without the risk of rolling over.
2. SLEEP.

You have acquired a couple more tricks that we're all really fond of:
1. You say "DaDa." And he is SO PROUD.
2. You just today waved bye bye to Papa several times.
3. Rolling over and playing in your crib instead of using it what it's intended for.

Your current stats are:
20 lbs, 5 oz - probably more since we started giving you some real food last week.
I'm not sure how long you are, about gnome sized I guess.
You have NO teeth, but you sure love to chomp on anything and everything, so maybe soon?

Oh Jax Man, you have stretched our hearts in a big way and we can't imagine our lives without you. Tatum loves you more than anything, and the feeling is mutual. Daddy gets to spend a lot of time with you one-on-one and you guys are bros for life, it's a bond that took a little while, but is now unbreakable. And you LOVE your Mama, which is exactly what I hoped for. We love watching you do pretty much everything, and it's usually followed up with a big round of applause or laughter. We are so lucky to have you and we can't wait to see what the next 6 months bring.

Love you Nugget.

Love,
Mama

We The People...

Well, here we are fresh off of an election night, everyone with welcoming arms to the new President of the United States of America, Barack Obama...or ARE WE?

As I sifted through the many facebook posts, comments and "likes" about this Presidential election, especially the results of the election, I realized something very important. I have figured out what THE PEOPLE (Facebook is the "the People" right??) want, and I know just the candidate.

1. I support "industries" (shout out to my MT peeps).
2. I support gay marriage (yes, I'm still married to a homophobe).
3. I support the underprivileged and the poor (I'm a public defender so this one is a big DUH).
4. I could care less if they legalize or don't legalize pot (I still won't be tokin' and maybe my caseload will get smaller).
5. I do not support "laziness" and "living off welfare" permanantly (but really, does ANYONE?).
6. I do not support "taxing the shit out of those of us who work" (child tax credit = you're not eligible because you make too much. WTF?).
7. I support birth control, especially for rape victims (this is noone's freakin' business anyway).
8. I support small businesses (Etsy, you are my friend. WalMart, you are my enemy!).
9. I support GUN RIGHTS (love my home protection, love my hunter, love my guns!).
10. I support large amounts of ammo (what fun are guns without large amounts of ammo - a little de-stressing anyone?).
11. I do not support "teaching our children that it's ok to be a lazy ass on welfare and take hand-outs from everyone" (I will teach my children that working is healthy and fun, if you pick the right job, and it is not acceptable to take handouts. HOWEVER, I will also teach my children to have compassion for those less fortunate than them - those who may not have been taught the same things as them).
12. I support ONE NATION, UNDER GOD, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.

Now, since I've laid out my platform, I know that the People (facebookers, mainly) will see that I am the perfect candidate for 2016.

J

Sleep Stealing Gnome

You know what I love about this little nugget??

He finds it fun to wake up EVERY TWO HOURS all night long. It's such a blast getting up that often.  Because, you know, if he didn't wake up that often I might have to go an entire night without seeing those kiss-able cheeks.  Or I might have to go an entire night without seeeing that adorable little mischevious grin. And that would be a damn shame. OR WOULD IT??

I recently saw this e-card:



And this one:



And both are pretty damn accurate in the Nagle household.

Let's rewind 4 years...dear, sweet, princess Tatum arrives, and wakes up for the boob every two hours, sometimes every ONE hour, for exactly FOURTEEN MONTHS. Not once did she sleep longer than 2 hours before then.

Now bringing you to approximately 6 months ago, little stud Jax arrives, and sleeps for SIX HOURS the first night he is born. And continues to do so for approximately 4 months!  Then, a little asshole wide-awake GNOME that I'm guessing looked something like this:



must have snuck in and took little Jax's sleep from him.  THAT'S THE ONLY THING I CAN THINK OF PEOPLE. So now, I bring you to the present, where I am back to waking up every two hours, and I have to ask WHY??

I think it's one of two things:
1. My children hate me; OR
2. That little bastard gnome sneaks into my house every night and steals the sleep from children.

You decide.

Disclaimer: ThismessageisinnowaymeanttoportraythatIdon'tlovemychildrenmorethananythinginthewholeworld.

Dear Ryan

Dear Ryan,

My hunter, my soul-mate, my companion. It's hunting season again, which means I am rarely seeing you-and when I am, you're dreaming about big bulls.

As I sit and think about what this time of year means for you, my heart fills with joy and pride. I get a little bit giddy for you, dreaming of you bringing home your trophy and a freezer full of meat.

I must admit, the thought of you in full Camo hiking in the woods is sorta a turn-on. ;) But in all seriousness, it's your ruggedness that I fell in love with. It's the manly-man demeanor you portray and your love for the outdoors. Your hard work and dedication to the things you love. THOSE are the things that made me fall for you. Your amazing qualities. Yet those are the very things I find so hard to understand when it comes to be hunting season again and I'm spending more nights alone than I am with you - and you're spending more nights in the hunting camper than you are your own bed. But when I take the time to reflect, I realize that hunting is your PASSION, it is what makes you Ryan, and it defines you. And for that, I am in love with you.

So as we are in the middle of hunting season, I am a little giddy, just daydreaming about you bringing home a big bull elk, and filling our freezer with the delicacy.

I can't wait to hear your hunting stories. And soon enough, we'll be taking along with you. Xoxo

Love,
P

What we've been up to...

We have had a glorious weekend hanging out as a family, running errands, and winterizing the yard! Jax has been filling our days with smiles and T has been filling our lives with giggles. We are so blessed to be living and enjoying the simple things this weekend.

Xoxo

Hunting Widow

Hunting Widow: the spouse or significant other of a hunter, whom, during hunting season, is typically left alone, "widowed" by their hunter spouse's prolonged absences; includes sleeping alone in the marriage bed, minimal sex life, extra essential babysitting responsibilities (for those with children), refrigerator depleted of beer supplies, bank account depleted of financial supplies, and the itty bitty possibility of said hunter spouse bringing home some fresh meat.

This sounds about right.

Jax 5 months