18 months, 22 weeks, 4 weeks in and 4.5 weeks to go...

Most of you would say that you are not surprised by what all has been going on! Some of you knowing us for the past 10 years or so, some our whole life, many of you have seen us do some crazy things in our past. Some favorites may include Scott buying 2 cars in 1 day when I was out of town...and now we continue...

4.5 weeks to go...

Yes...I wish that was ALL I had left til we welcome this new little one into our life, but unfortunately, I still have a ways to go! We have decided to MOVE! We had thought about it off and on for the past few months. Kept our eyes out for anything we may like. Then we found IT! It's a nice home in Brownsburg. About 20 years old. Plenty...and I mean PLENTY of room to grow! But most of all...PLENTY of room to entertain! Scott was very hesitant on buying a house with 5 bedrooms, hoping that will not make me want to fill all of them! :-) So we move in the week after Thanksgiving! We are very excited to have this as our home for many, many years!

4 weeks in...

Scott welcomed a partner to his office the beginning of October, Melissa DeRosa. She trained at IU a few years before Scott and has worked in New Mexico for the past few years. Scott and the M.A.s are working on getting used to her being there. It's a little challenging going from Scott getting used to the "office life" and deciding to do things 1 way, and Melissa being used to doing things another way...so their trying to work out the kinks. We were worried that Scott would slow down a lot after her starting because she would be taking most of the new patients, but he has stayed steady and has really enjoyed someone else being there to ask their opinions.

22 weeks...

YES!!! I am over the half way marker!!! We did find out a few weeks ago that we are welcoming another little boy into our family! I always have mixed emotions when it comes close to the 20 week appointment...but things were great! They were WONDERFUL if you ask Scott...who is on cloud 9 because he's getting another "GOLD MEDAL"! Although, I think I had said it was going to be a girl enough that he actually start to believe it was! The doctor says we both are doing great...both growing like we should be! Not much to be said at my appointment this week. I get to go back the 1st week of December for glucose testing. I think I got REAL excited realizing that I will be almost 27 weeks by then...which is almost 30...which is almost 40...then he'll be here! Call me crazy...but it's the little things! :-)

18 months...

Yes...18 months...It's true!!! JJ is growing up so fast! In less than 6 months, my baby boy will be 2!!! Although...he acts like he is already! We have started the "I'm crying because I know I'm supposed to when I get yelled at!", the "you can tell how mad I am by how fast I can stomp my feet", and the "If mom says 'No don't do that', look at dad to see if he's mad too"! But truly, he is a great kid! Loves, Loves, LOVES watching sports! He knows that any Colts shirt says "Go Colts", our coasters say "Go Cubs", and we are working on the "Go Irish"! And YES...we hope if helps JJ in the future to learn to live with disappointment!

As for JJ's speaking skills...He is now actually being understood! Anyone could know that he wants a Banana for breakfast! Or when he wakes up..."Hmmm...Where's dad?" Or my shining moment...when he grabs his diaper and says "BUTT"!!! :-)

As for his dancing skills...Scott is a little jealous! He has a gets a great sway going to any song he hears, as well as knows hand motions to most songs...Wheels on the Bus, Head Shoulders Knees and Toes, and his ALL TIME FAVORITE...Itsy Bitsy Spider!

We've been staying pretty busy, and this next few weeks won't be any different! JJ had his 1st trip to the Indianapolis Zoo! Yes, I know...he's almost 2 and hadn't been to the zoo yet! But it had been sooo hot this summer, Grandma Phyllis and I didn't want to go! So we waited til school was back in session and went when NO ONE was there! JJ also started his 1st swim lessons at the Y! 1st day...not so good, but by the last class, he was so much more comfortable in the water! We're gonna take a little break til the spring and then start again. I figure it will give him some "Mom and JJ" time away from the baby.

Scott and I had a nice little "Babymoon" to Atlanta to the Midtown Music Festival in September. It had a lot of local bands, but was headlined by my favorite, Coldplay, and also hosted The Black Keys. Paid a little too much for tickets, but had free food, drinks, beer, and private bathrooms! No port-o-pots for me! :-) Got to visit Atlanta for the 1st time in over 10 years...and was able to visit with my cousin Beckie too! It was a great break from Scott's board exam studying, house buying, and a little peace and quite away from JJ!

Hopefully now all this crazy stuff is almost done...one of us will remember to update our blog next month...but no promises! :-)

15 months and 13 weeks...

Greetings!

It has been a while since we last posted...considering JJ is almost 16 months old, I figured I should post something before that time came! :-)

We are all staying pretty busy! JJ and I have frequented the Children's Museum, made a trip to the State Fair, and have made several trips to the neighborhood pool...one trip included Scott needing to make an emergency trip to Verizon as he was in the pool for a good 15 minutes before he realized his phone was still in his pocket! Better yet...HE WAS ON CALL! I also to JJ over the state lines for the 1st time to Louisville for the day to visit my friend Jenny and her new little guy, Paxton! I know...I'm such an adventurous mom! :-)

As for Scott, having a "real" job is working well for him! He opened Avon Neurology July 13th, and will be joined by a partner in the Fall. Hendricks Regional wasn't lying when they said they needed help! He has been busy since day 1! 6 weeks in, and I still can't get used to him being home by 5:30...or making sure there is something for dinner! :-)

We also just had the pleasure of celebrating yet another wedding, well actually 2! First was David and Liz...David is a fellow "Underwear Gnome"! We had a great time with some fellow softballers at the wedding! Most recently, we celebrated the wedding of David and Mo Buell!!! It was a wonderful time! We were able to spend the weekend with our best friends and had a blast! As we laughed about it later...Scott said 15% of their CRHS class was at the wedding! It is such a blessing to have had friends for 15+ years!

JJ has definitely taken off!!! He is getting pretty tall...last measurement on 7/29, JJ was 34 inches tall! I am NOT looking forward to EVER taking this kid shopping for pants! It just may be the death of me! As for his talking...he always has to be heard! Some words are starting to come out more clearly than others. It's hard to not tell he wants a snack when he walks over to the fridge and yells "NACK!!!" He also LOVES to pick on poor Cubbie, either chasing him around the house or pretending that he is going to share his Goldfish or Puffs with him! Although, my all time favorite is when you ask if he's ready for bed, he very easily says "Yeah" and starts heading up the stairs! (And YES...I am 99% sure this will change one day, but for now I'll enjoy it!)

So that takes up the 15 months...now on to the 13 weeks...

JJ is going to be a BIG BROTHER!!! I am 13 weeks pregnant! Everything has gone just perfect so far! We continue to pray for a perfect 27 weeks to go! So the battle begins...is it a Boy or a GIRL??? Scott is hoping for another "Gold Medal", but I think it's just so I don't have to buy anything! I, of course, want a little girl to get rid of all this BOY STUFF (and to go shopping)! All joking aside...We are beyond thrilled and cannot wait to welcome this blessing into our family!

14 Months...

JJ continues to develop a personality that guarantees multiple phone calls from teachers saying that he distracts the other children in class. I think the word "ham" comes to mind when he will babble something and then cheese and giggle. He has also started shushing us when he sees that Cubbie is sleeping (though he has no trouble poking his nose and playing with his tail at the same time).

His walking has become quite stable and is quickly transforming from a trot to an all out run. The only problem is that his brakes aren't quite developed so we have seen a few more crashes than in the past.

His words are slowly coming around as well. He definitely has "dada, mama, banana" and few occasional words down. I expected his words to take off the way his crawling and walking did, but this seems to be a slower process.

JJ's diet also has exploded over the past month or so. He seems to have some aversion to chicken and really all meats for that matter, but you cannot get this kid full with anything else. He can down pasta, vegetables, fruit/applesauce for dinner, and then keep asking Sara and I for more off our plates. It's impressive for a 14mo old.

And on that note, that's always bothered me... For years, I've never understood why a child is "14 months old" and not just "one year old." I haven't told anyone that I'm turning 360 months old next week, so when does someone turn "years old" and not "months old." That sounds like a bit, but I really don't know because I tell people he's 1 and it doesn't seem to register. When I say 14mo, they immediately know what to expect.

Sara and I took another JJ-less vacation in early June. We went to Playa del Carmen, Mexico to take part in Matt and Abby's wedding. Our resort was incredible and we both had a great time (assuming you subtract the two days of food poisoning). We spent tons of time on the white sand, in the ocean, and poolside drinking and eating in an all-inclusive way. A large group of us took a private catamaran ride and went snorkeling for the first time. Someone in our group (let's call him A. Utterback) couldn't handle it from motion sickness and had to be rescued back to shore. Actually, I think that name may have been too obvious, let's call him Andy U.

I had my graduation ceremony at the IMA the week we came back. It was the first time our graduation was held there, but it turned out very nice. Dinner was excellent and it was nice to have Sara and dad meet some of the people who trained me (since they've heard plenty of stories).

Since then I've been fighting off senior-itis, but with little success. I'm really just counting down the days till I get to start my own practice. The plan for now is to start training right after July 4th and then start seeing patients on July 11th. I'm gonna be flying solo for a few months, but a former IU resident is coming back to town and will be joining me in October. So far things are falling in place to start on time, but there's still lots to do to the office before we start.

Betty and Denny also stopped by this month and we made a return trip to Bijou. If you haven't had the chance to try Bijou up in Lebanon, you definitely should go for your next celebration. It's pricey, but you'll have a great time and the food is worth every penny. I was given the responsibility of choosing the wine for the first time and I have to admit I haven't been that nervous in a long time. It makes no sense why wines are so intimidating. I chose a Pinot Noir from Oregon (really for no other reason than I've been there) - hopefully it was good enough for the table that they'll trust me to try again next visit.

To those who haven't heard, or who have forgotten, Sara is throwing me a Hawaiian luau themed 30th birthday/graduation party on July 2nd. It'll be here at the house and starts around 4PM. We'll have pulled pork and plenty of other food, plus a variety of beers to sample. Please let me or Sara know if you haven't RSVP'd already so we can plan accordingly.

WE MADE IT!!!

12 months have come and gone... and we are ALL still alive to talk about it! (Even Cubbie!) And you are all lucky to have ME to tell you about it at this mile marker instead of Scott! (I guess I have a little more free time than he does!)

Not a day goes by that we have a hard time remembering this little guy...as we are sooo amazed at how fast time has gone, as well as, how BIG our little boy is now! Our "little" 8 pound 10 ounce J.J. is now 25 pounds and in the 93% for his height! Thanks to his cousin, Chase, J.J. has very quickly become a walking pro, as well as able to push and shove to get what he wants!

J.J. has been trying to talk for the past few months. I had been able to teach him a few signs..."more" and "all done"...so he had been able to tell a little bit. He also has "No, no, no!" down pat! Even waving his finger when someone says it! (Can you tell what he hears A LOT of?!?!?!) I was blessed to get a special surprise for Mother's Day...he said "DADA"! I said..."You're not supposed to say that! It's Mother's Day!" And what was J.J.'s reaction...he LAUGHED in my face! Since then, we have heard a few "MOM"s and Aunt Anna swears that he said "ANNA" today...but I think he was asking for a BANANA!

As for J.J.'s 1st Birthday Bash...I pretty much did EVERYTHING that Parents Magazine said to NOT do for a 1st Birthday Party! Small crowd...40 people is small right? Do not schedule the party during nap time...party was from 2-6pm so I made him take a nap 2 hours after he woke up that morning! Don't go overboard...are 30 balloons TOO many?? Scott's job was to just keep his mouth shut...but his eyes said it all when he came home from picking up the balloons! J.J. had a great time opening all his gifts and eating all the icing off his cake! We were blessed to have such wonderful family and friends help celebrate with us!

With April being one of the busiest months for us...we managed a vacation, I finished my mini training, celebrated MANY birthdays, and 2 Easter celebrations...I'm surprised we made it! We have now entered less than 2 months til Scott starts his new practice! We are all very excited about it! Scott has been picking out gloves, his desk and chair for his office, and the biggest decision...the name of the office! I'm not sure Hendricks Regional will approve of "The Cline Center of Excellence"...so maybe "Avon Neurology" will do?? (I'm sure the next few posts will be

more and more about our new journey!)

As April has come to an end, once again, I say we've made it! J.J. has been such a blessing to us and always makes our days sunny!

11 months...

Sorry this one is closer to 12 months than 11 months, but since JJ hasn't turned one yet it still counts...

Sara and I just flew in from Hawaii today and boy are my arms tired! Not really a joke, Sara's bags were heavy! I managed to get Sara and I down to one bag to save on bag check fees, but not without a fight. I had my neurology conference in Honolulu and of course Sara had to go with me to make sure I actually went. I only had conferences on Sunday and Monday, but we flew out last Thursday to get a couple extra days in. Last time we went we didn't get to see everything so we took a guided tour of the island. Started off toward Diamond Head and then spent a few minutes at Hanauma Bay, which is the big snorkling area. Winded our way up toward North Shore, stopping to see sea turtles resting on the beach, a macadamian nut farm, a Buddha shrine, and a horse ranch. Our last stop was the Dole Plantation and the pineapple ice cream alone was worth the trip. I wanted to go through the maze, but unfortunately there wasn't time. Fact of the day: It takes 18-20 months for a plant to produce a pineapple. The tour was well done and I recommend it for anyone who goes to Oahu.

My conference took up most of Sunday and Monday - giving Sara time to shop and hang out on the beach, though lots of clouds. Tuesday and early Wednesday were the hottest/sunniest days and we spent a good deal of those days on the beach or in the ocean. The rest of the time we wandered Waikiki pointing out all the people on the street who were obviously neurologists (I like to think I wasn't that obvious - though Sara disagreed).

Not all of the vacation went well as Sara got food poisoning on Saturday and I subsequently got food poisoning the morning that we left. Fact #2: Vomit bags are impressively waterproof and quite resilient to repeated blasts. Fortunately Sara recovered well over a day or so, and I'm slowly getting there.

We landed Thursday AM around 0930 and as we're walking to pick up our bags we hear Chase yelling about the airplanes outside and JJ's "Oooooh." Not sure he knew what to think at first but then he smiled and ran to Sara.

JJ stayed with Steve and Phyllis while we were gone. I was impressed that Sara didn't cry when we left, but you could tell she was missing him toward the end of the trip (and I was too). We stayed in close touch and everytime we heard him on the phone he was yelling and having fun (usually with Chase) so we knew he was ok. Cubbie stayed with my dad and other than taking up most of the bed it sounded like things went well there as well.

JJ had his one year pictures taken a couple weeks ago and we just got the pics in the mail. I was instructed not to post them yet, so I'll get some up as soon as I'm allowed. Next post will be after JJ turns 1, can't believe how quickly the past year went by.

10 Months...

Everything has been pretty much status quo around here. JJ is getting bigger by the day, Sara is staying busy trying to keep up with him (and Chase on Tuesdays), and I'm one month closer to graduation (not that I'm counting down or anything).

JJ has discovered a new skill in climbing stairs and is very willing to show you how good he is at it if you're not paying close attention. He continues to cruise over the house by crawling and is getting closer to piecing together walking. He's rock solid as long as he's holding onto something (couch, table, one of us) and stands pretty well. We have been pushing the couches apart and putting toys he likes on either side so that he has to walk between them. So far we get 2-3 steps and then a nosedive into the couch, but he's definitely getting better.

No definite words yet, but his babbling is getting clearer and more consistent. Can't imagine it'll be long now till we get a couple of words out of him, but I can't even count anymore how many times I've heard from people "the sooner they talk, the sooner they talk back." I guess we should just enjoy the semi-quiet for now.

Sara is progressing really well on her mini-marathon training. She ran her first training 5K last Saturday and was middle of the pack for women for her time. I thought that was pretty good for someone who has only been training for a few weeks and has not ran competitively since high school. I can't remember her time, but I do remember thinking that I probably couldn't do it. She has a 10K coming up this weekend and then 15K a few weeks later, but we'll be in Hawaii for that one so I gotta make sure she runs that one on Waikiki beach.

So far my resolutions are going well. Here's a quick recap/update:

1. I have increased my reading/studying (though not sure I'm quite at an extra hour/week).

2. I've reached a new belt loop since last year and I'm only 3# away from 200# for the first time since 8th grade.

3. Still have two months till he's supposed to be doing algebra... JJ isn't quite grasping polynomials yet, but he's pretty good at solving for x - so that's a start!

Aunt Betty found these baby scrubs while working in D.C. You can't see the emblem, but they are White House surgical scrubs.

I don't have anything else too exciting in terms of updates for me, so I'll just distract you with a few extra pictures of JJ here instead...

PS. Check my last post - Super Bowl prediction right on the money!

9 Months

January is nearly gone, and since I was at Riley all this month February could not come fast enough. If nothing else, Riley reminded me everyday not to appreciate JJ and not take him for granted because taking care of him could be MUCH more difficult. It's interesting to think about my approach to kids now compared to when I was there 2 years ago. I'm more comfortable dealing with the kids, but having a boy to compare the patients with really helps when discussing milestones, development, and weird stuff normal kids do. I cannot count the number of times I told a mom, "that's nothing... my son did that." I wouldn't say that I hated my time at Riley, but I don't see me looking back fondly 5 years from now either.

Since I had a rough schedule at work, Sara had an equally rough month at home. She not only took care of JJ by herself for the vast majority of the month, but added in training for the Mini-marathon. I have been impressed with her dedication. She only missed one training day this month and that was because it snowed like 3 inches the night before and was like 2 degrees out.

Now that JJ is approaching the big 01, his milestones are falling almost daily. He has mastered going from crawling to standing while holding onto the couch. Most days we don't even need to get all of his toys out because he just plays with the couch pillows and coasters over and over - and of course his socks which spend more time in his mouth than on his feet.

In addition to all his achievements, JJ has also picked up a couple bad habits - most notably biting. Wasn't a problem when he was all gums, but now that he has almost 4 teeth he can really do some damage. The other night we were playing on the couch and he leaned over and bit me on the arm. I told him "No, you don't do that" in a fairly stern voice and he immediately made a face as if he were going to cry. It was so funny I started laughing hysterically - of course that lesson didn't set in so he bit me again. Another warning resulted in more crying and a few tears - hopefully that one stuck because I hid my laughing behind a pillow.

JJ had his 9mo checkup on Friday and sounds like all went well. He is now 21.3 lbs (65%), 30in (95%), and his head circumference was in the 99th percentile. The first two could be misleading, but with a head measurement like that there is no chance he isn't my kid. No shots this time - saving those for his 12mo visit.

February will again keep us busy, but we're that much closer to our April trip to Hawaii and June trip to Mexico. It'll be tough to leave JJ here, but I just look at it as there's at least two weeks where no one will bite my arm!

Till next time...

PS. My Super Bowl pick is Green Bay by 6. Go Packers!