guest post by me, Shane...

my wife thought i should spend some time making a post on our 'family blog'...she told me to write 26 things about myself that the everyday blog reader might not know...

1. I am 26 years old, thus 26 things (1 down 25 to go, thanks wifey!!!!)

2. I voluntarily encouraged one of my in-laws to move in with me, and that was after his fiance already lived with us. (I am a glutton for punishment).

3. The Vanilla Oreos are so much better.

4. I am the luckiest man in the world, I married up.

5. I have an Ipad (due to my wife), and I love it.

6. If I had my way, I would have a concrete backyard.

7. I met and proposed to Jackee in the same room on the UNI Campus, inside the Curris Business Building.

8. I like phones, like a lot.

9. I pretty much am addicted to technology

10. I like google products, some of you know this about me.

11. I have not owned a gaming system since I got married (due to my wife). The things a man will do for love.

12. Jackee will not allow my original comment for number 12 to be posted on this "family" blog.

13. I like to learn and read.

14. I am a better man than I was 6 years ago (due to my wife).

15. When I was little I had a horrible speech problem, it was so bad my brother used to dial Hooked on Phonics and have me talk regularly as a prank. "Hoofed on bonics rorked fur me. Yem sum good stuf"

16. I am not a violent person...except....(deleted by Jackee)

17. I am a Momma's Boy.

18. I broke my arm when I was 7 really bad, like three bones and a dislocated shoulder. It happened at 4, my brother picked me up from the babysitter at 8, he ate a pizza, had a car break down, and I finally got to the hospital at like midnight.

19. My brothers have been two of the best mentors in my life, they are 9 and 15 years older than me.

20. I love playing, watching, and teaching basketball.

21. I still don't know what I want to do when I grow up.

22. I haven't had a pop since 2002 (not due to my wife, she has never seen me drink pop). It is true, I am a recovering popaholic.

23. One of the hardest things for me to get over since Zay has PKU is that I will never be able to grill a steak and have a beer with him!!!!

24. I am one of those crazy dog loving people.

25. I have learned that I love going for runs, but I am going on nearly 8 months of having an injury that stops me from going much farther than 1 mile.

26. Jesus is my bff, like seriously forever.

Now my wife has to do this!!!!! 27 for her, she robbed the craddle (due to me).

PKU Picnic!

This past weekend we headed to Waukee to attend our very first PKU Picnic/Fundraiser. We had a such a great time!

It was a lot of fun to see some other kids with PKU and meet their families. I enjoyed talking with some other moms about how and what the cook for meals. (I have so much to learn!) And overall it was just really great seeing everyone make a special day for all "PKUers".

We were asked to bring one low-protein dish and one normal dish to share. So...I tried my first low protein bread. Strawberry bread! I have to say, it really didn't taste great to me, but I'm sure there will be a lot of dishes that are an acquired taste. As long as I can find things that Zay likes, that will be all that matters!

Zay and Daddy hanging out!

Zay and Mommy!

And Grandma Judy came too!

They had so many fun games for the kids!

3-legged race

Water balloon toss...which turned into an all out water balloon fight!

This is Dallas - he is probably the most famous PKUer in Iowa. Seems like I've seen him in a number of publications and he is a GREAT role model. He gave a speech while we were there, talking about how he handles his diet at school. He explained how he continues to go about his life like a normal teenager, enjoying school, sports and friends like everyone else!

The whole PKU clan! At least the ones that were there that day. From what we know Zay is still the youngest in Iowa.

8 Month Old and...

We have a BUSY boy! Some milestones of this past month are...

-Isaiah has really found that he LOVES to play, play, play! He is constantly trying to discover new things and really is into everything. I love his curious and trusting little hands that reach for anything and everything!

-This past month Zay has been working really hard on crawling. He has reverse mastered. He generally ends up in corners and then starts crying for some help. He is doing the whole rocking back and forth on all fours...almost like he's getting revved up, but then goes no where!

-Zay can also pull himself up on things. His favorites are the coffee table, his toy basket and the couch. We've lowered his crib recently for this very reason, we haven't seen him standing at his crib yet, but with how tall he is, his crib definitely needed to be lowered!

-Zay learned how to wave this past month too...however, since learning how to do it, now he is much more picky on when he decides to show us his waving skills. He no longer will do it on command!

-When Zay wants to be picked up, he will start waving both arms up and down...this also is his way of showing excitement! When he has done something cool and is proud of himself, he will do the arm waving. We are working on teaching him how to clap. I think he will like to cheer himself on with this new skill too.

-We've lost our little cuddlebug! Zay is a wiggle worm! Whenever he is on our laps he is trying to climb up us! And when standing and holding him, his favorite thing to do is throw his head backwards and see things upside down.

-We get the best belly laugh from Zay when we play fetch with Bailey. For some reason, her carrying a ball in her mouth and running in circles around him is REALLY funny!

-Zay got two more teeth this month! They are on top, but not his two front teeth...his i-teeth are coming in. So we joke that he's going to go as Dracula for Halloween with his fangs! :)

-Zay continues to say "mama"...BUT only when he's upset or crying. I have yet to hear it outside of that context. We heard "dada" for the first time yesterday. And there was 3 of us there to verify he said while Shane was walking up to him, so that was exciting. We haven't heard it again since, but it is still exciting! Other words that we've thought we've here are "hi" and "hey"...the rest of his words are pretty much babble.

-One area we are STILL struggling with...SLEEP...oh how I miss sleep! Zay still wakes up EVERY night. AND wakes up early...we are out of bed between 5 and 5:30 everyday! Which is not a problem...if you've gotten good solid sleep the night before. Unfortunately, this is usually not the case. Shane and I take turns every other night, since we both work and I must say, this is where Shane really has helped me out. He functions much better on less sleep than I do, and he taken on multiple nights in a row with Zay or let me sleep in on Saturdays. I am SO grateful for a break every once in a while!

Overall the past month has gone so fast! I can't even believe that Zay is already 8 months! I continue to be amazed with the amount of love I have for this little boy. And the amount of worry I can have for him! Shane and I were just having a conversation in the car today about our little guy and I was saying, as a new mom I wonder how much of my "desire for perfection" with Zay is normal and how much is intensified by Zay's PKU. As we continue on this journey of learning how to organize Zay's diet, I find myself stressing (probably a little too much), on doing everything right. I told Shane, most of the time I feel ignorant about what a "normal" baby can eat when they reach this age or this milestone, let alone what Zay can have. I usually feel like there isn't any room for mistakes, so I'm really working on not stressing myself out, but at the same mastering this diet stuff.

A Note to my lil Zay:

Zay,

I just want you to someday be able to read this short little note and know how much you are loved. I want you to know that seeing your sweet smile with your two bottom teeth, your beautiful squinty blue eyes, and your little one-sided dimple is heaven for me. You are simply the best there is! I truly believe you are one of the happiest babies I've ever seen. Even when you are wide awake in the middle of the night, all we have to do is come be at your side and you give us big grins that melt our hearts...even at 2am. You've won me over with every ounce of your being...and that's a lot of ounces. :) I pray for you everyday that you will grow up to be everything God intended you to be. I know that you were made special for your time here and I can't wait to see you live the incredible life God has planned. Please always stay so sweet and always know that you are so loved by your mommy and daddy. We are so blessed to be called your parents.

Love, Mommy

8 Months Old!!

i love fridays

Running......Reading......Relaxing........oh yeah......and laundry, dishes, vacuuming, dusting, sweeping, folding, organizing, scrubbing, mopping, washing.......but really - I LOVE FRIDAYS!

And today I did spend my morning on the first 3, but I equally love the latter list as well. :)

Have a great weekend everyone!

SpLiSh SpLaSh, I wAs TaKiNg A bAtH!

Our little Zay continues to LOVE bath time! And since it's been awhile since I've made a post dedicated to Zay (haha!) I thought I'd post some bath time pictures! Enjoy!

And last but not least...

I have no doubt that my little boy will someday LOVE me for putting this photo up! :)

A new favorite toy...

I love playing with balls!!!

Daddy is already getting excited about me playing sports...now if I could only keep these balls away from Bailey who thinks they are her toys to play fetch with...

New Bike Helmet!

We just bought a used bike trailer for bike rides with Zay. So....we had to get Zay a bike helmet! And doesn't he just look adorable in it! He actually does pretty well with it on too. Time to hit the trails!!!

Totally Inappropriate!

Guess what I'm doing....