Welcome Baby Jalen

This Blog Has Moved...

2011-09-06T20:28:00.000-07:00

I had good intentions on keeping up with this blog as well as our adoption blog but to be honest I can barely keep up with one so I am basically converging the 2 blogs together for now and for all updates from this year and forward we can be found at Expecting From Ethiopia. Please check it out and "follow" along and see what we have been up to for the past year!

Thanks,

The O'Neal Family

Merry Christmas

2010-12-16T20:24:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!!!

We send all of our love and wish you a wonderful, happy and healthy holiday season!

Love,

Jason, Joely & Jalen

It's Been Awhile

2010-10-25T21:04:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I last updated on here so here's a brief catching up since August. Jalen will be turning 2 YEARS OLD in just a couple of weeks and we are starting his celebrations early! My mom and dad (Bubba and Papa West) will be here on Wednesday and we are having Jalen's 1st party on Saturday at our home followed by trick-or-treating fun! We have invited Jalen's friends from school and our neighbors and friends to this one so most of the kids will be Jalen's age or close to it. We are having everyone wear their costumes too so they can go trick-or-treating right after. Jalen's other b-day party will be held on November 13th and we are still planning this but are thinking about having it at Lazer Zone, an indoor bowling, lazer tag, arcade, bounce house, and more locating just down the street so the bigger kids coming can enjoy themselves more...this party we will invite our work friends, church friends and anyone else that couldn't make it to his 1st party. Above is the invite I made for his party this weekend: I love my cupcake hold puncher and you will see it or have already seen it probably on every home-made card I make...it is just so fitting for so many occasions!

We have been very busy with adoption fundraisers, church, work, and family/friends lately and time is just flying. Since I last posted we have found out we were approved to move forward with our home study in the adoption process ( a big step for us), have taken some classes in international adoption, had a huge garage sale extravaganza at our church and raised $3500 and are in the process of having another t-shirt fundraiser. We have done A LOT of paperwork in this time and have spent many late nights with all things related. We have also had a lot of fun with our church and friends from it and got to hang out at a fun farm nearby and play in bounce houses, go to a pumpkin patch, eat good food and play with farm animals (Joely also got kicked by a small horse that left a quite large black bruise on her right calf...this was found to be funny by everyone she works with).

We have continued to make so many good friends since we have been here. Honestly I cannot even count how many GOOD friends we have here and have only been here 13 mths! We just had Jason's parent's in town a few weekends ago and so Jalen got to enjoy quality time with Nana and Boompa O'Neal and they were a HUGE help to us during our crazy adoption garage sale. I know I'm forgetting some other updates but those are the major ones. And as for Mr. Jalen, he is almost ready to move to the big kids room at daycare. He is the second oldest kid in his room but he loves all the babies and everyday when we leave he makes a special attempt to say "bye bye baby!" and wave to every baby in the room. He also loves his friends there and funny enough if he is in a mood, we start naming his friends (Jacob, Eve, Raelen, Noah, Carter, Ash, Jenna, Max, and others) and he calms down and starts talking about them and repeating their names! We have started potty training but not religiously. He did really love it at first but hasn't shown as much interest lately. We will continue to try though and figure he'll get it when he's ready. He does have incentive though because his potty chair plays music when he goes and he does like that! His favorite TV shows right now are Special Agent Oso and Choo Choo Soul and every now and again Handy Manny but we are usually hearing "Oso! Oso!" when he is in the living room.

Well that is all for now. Our lil man is growing up before our eyes and is just such a sweetheart. He loves to give sweet little kisses and has gotten really good at giving hugs and Eskimo Kisses, this is with us and his "sisters" aka dogs (which if you didn't know we have 3...Ali, Laila and Rescue. Rescue was not supposed to stay but we have yet to find a home for her in a couple months and she fits right in so she may be a permanent fixture here, Jalen loves her so much!

Sweet pictures of Jalen...getting so big!

2010-08-28T20:46:00.000-07:00

Jalen on his laptop

2010-08-18T19:56:00.000-07:00

Jalen's Favorite New Chore

2010-08-18T19:18:00.000-07:00

This is a short video but he does feed all the girls and makes sure he gets equal amounts in all bowls and then will put the measuring scoop and food away when he is done.

Beautiful Video

2010-08-18T18:14:00.000-07:00

As most of you know we are in the process of adoption and a friend of mine found this YouTube video and shared with me...it is just beautiful and pretty much says it all.  The bold print is my favorite and SO true.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=demRHgul2Zk

When Love takes You In

By: Steven Curtis Chapman

I know you’ve                      heard the stories 
But they all sound too good to be true 
You’ve heard about a place called home 
But there doesn’t seem to be one for you 
So one more night you cry yourself to sleep 
And drift off to a distant dream 

Where love takes                      you in and everything changes 
A miracle starts with the beat of a heart 
When love takes you home and says you belong here 
The loneliness ends and a new life begins 
When love takes you in 

And somewhere while                      you’re sleeping 
Someone else is dreaming too 
Counting down the days until 
They hold you close and say I love you 

And like the rain that falls into the sea 
In a moment what has been is lost in what will be 

When love takes                      you in everything changes 
A miracle starts with the beat of a heart 

And this love will                      never let you go 
There is nothing that could ever
cause this love to lose its hold 

When love takes                      you in everything changes 
A miracle starts with the beat of a heart 

When love takes you home and says you belong here 
The loneliness ends and a new life begins 
When love takes you in it takes you in for good 
When love takes you in

New Family Pictures- August 2010

2010-08-15T14:55:00.000-07:00

We only had about 5 minutes to take these pictures with the extreme OK heat setting it so we didn't get as many as we would have liked. Once it cools down we'll go out and get more but they turned out pretty good for the quick time we had!

Smart Lil' Cookie

2010-07-31T10:46:00.001-07:00

Jalen's such a smart little boy and I know he must get so frustrated that he can't always communicate what he wants with us but he is getting better. His speech is becoming more and more clear by the day and he is really into mimicking everything we do now so gotta start watching what we say and do :)

Today he kept repeating "a ball" over and over and pointing to our hall closet where we keep our vacuum and Swiffer broom. I kept telling him "there is no ball in there" but finally gave in and opened the door, he grabbed the Swiffer broom and went running into the kitchen where he got down on his hands and knees and shoved the broom under the stove (like he has seen mommy do before to get a small object out when it is pushed or rolled under). He thought there was a ping-pong ball under there and knew just what to do to get it out. Unfortunately there was no ball there so he was very persistent to keep trying and I have my camera in reach so I was able to record his persistence. Sometimes he just amazes me with what he knows and how his little brain works!

Jalen Jammin' in the Car

2010-07-18T15:36:00.000-07:00

We turned around to see Jalen bopping his head back and forth today the song
"Can we pretend that airplanes
In the night sky
Are like shooting stars
I could really use a wish right now (wish right now, wish right now)"

So funny. I know it has been a while since I have posted on here. I love adding pictures and for some reason have such a hard time lately uploading pictures on here versus the quickness I can do on Facebook. Jalen is a little over 20 months old now and is just doing so many new funny things. If you say Ready, Set,.." he yells "Go!" although it sounds like "Doh!" and if you say "On your mark,.." he says "get set, go", again sounding more like "det set, doh", the pattern is he hasn't gotten the "g" sounds down yet :) Jalen also will say "two" after we say "one.." and he tries to hold up 2 fingers when he does so (preparing him for his 2nd b-day in Nov). Jalen has been doing good in daycare and I was told one day by one of his teachers that he has such a funny personality and one of the best she has ever seen. I know this but I didn't know how he compared to the other cuties in his class. He also is beginning to really know his colors, especially yellow, he loves to yell "lellow!".

It has been very hot here, 107 deg today to be exact...thought we moved out of the desert! We are going camping this coming weekend in Sulphur, OK (just 30 mins from our house) with Hilary, Joshua and Jude and cannot wait. It will be our 3rd attempt so please no rain this time around! We will be heading up after work on Fri and coming back on Sun. there are cold springs, rivers and a nearby lake so we should be able to stay cool pretty well. We are so excited to have Jalen experience camping for the first time and how much fun to do so with a friend I grew up camping with!

Jalen Update

2010-06-11T11:18:00.000-07:00

This first picture is the day after surgery napping on the couch...he uses Laila as a step stool and climbs onto the couch when he is tired to nap. The 2nd picture is when we got home right after surgery, this picture was followed by about a 3 hr nap!

I am home with Jalen today and he is doing ok. He's not eating or drinking as well as he did the day of surgery as I am sure he is feeling the pain more now but when he is hungry or thirsty he takes it all in at once practically. He hates the Tylenol with Codeine but it almost instantly does make him feel better, just doesn't taste great and it's amazing how 1 tsp can take so long to get into a little boy's mouth! Above are a couple pictures since he has been home, poor little guy, I can't wait till he is fully recovered and back to his normal self again.

Jalen's Surgery

2010-06-09T10:50:00.000-07:00

Jalen is doing wonderful so far. A little trooper in pre-op, surgery, and post-op and now sound asleep at home and resting very comfortably.

I am having a hard time getting more than these 2 pictures posted to this blog but the rest are on facebook as well as a couple videos that I am uploading right now from Jalen's surgery this morning.

New Pictures of Our Family

2010-05-23T17:19:00.000-07:00

Jason, Jalen and Joely

Finally a recent family picture!

Laila and Ali

May 2010 and Exciting News!!!

2010-05-16T09:46:00.000-07:00

Well,I have been a bit behind on the blog lately. We have had so much going on lately that it was just put on the back burner but I'll get you up-to-date. Jalen is now 18 mths old and actually getting some long hair (for him at least). His hair is still so blonde that it is hard to tell in some lights but up close it is there and getting quite long especially on the sides and in back. He has been talking up a storm although it is still his language of trying to communicate. We can usually tell what he is saying but I'm sure others can't so well. He constantly still says "uh-oh" and now loves calling the dogs which ends up sounding like "ay-ya" for Laila and "ah-la" for Ali. He has been doing better at day care with his biting reports although in the last 2 weeks I have had 3 papers to sign off on 2 in regards to him being bitten for no reason and 1 for him running and falling flat on his face and ending up with a big fat upper lip and scratch up to his nose. He's a tough boy though and none of this phases him. Jalen also has his school pictures taken so I will put them up when I get a chance. They turned out so cute! We have been having quite a bit of rain and thunderstorms here too and as I'm sure you've seen on the national news, some tornadoes. We are lucky that Ada generally gets missed though so even though we have had some warnings already and alerts to take cover, we have not been hit.

In other news, as most of you know now...We're Adopting! We are so excited and have started the long process towards adopting a little boy or girl from Ethiopia. We have a new website dedicated to our adoption process and would love for you to follow along and pass it on to anyone you know.

http://expecting-from-ethiopia.blogspot.com

here are a few pictures from the month of May so far...enjoy!

Jalen in his MSU t-shirt from papa

Jalen playing with his friend Carter (and Carter's mom Heather)

Jalen and Mommy during the tornado warning, watching the storm

Our back and front yard during the big storms

Playing ski-ball at a b-day party for a little girl in his class

Riding on the carousel, notice the healing fat lip

Riding on a choo-choo

Hanging out with Carter and his parents (Heather and Buck)

April 2010

2010-04-17T20:17:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been over a month now since I have last posted, wow how time flies! Jalen is 17 mths now and just changing and learning new things every day. He is trying to repeat things now all the time and has been saying a lot of new words, although most are now 100% clear, we can tell what he is saying. He does say "hola" pretty clear though and it took me by complete surprise when he did. He loves it when I sing the Spanish alphabet to him because it is so upbeat and fun and I am hoping to teach him Spanish more now that he is repeating and starting to talk. He also can sign "more", "please" and "thank you" although he generally blows a kiss when you tell him to say thank you. Here are a couple pictures from Easter in AZ, I am having problems uploading pictures on here for some reason so if you want to see all of them, check out my facebook page. Between now and Memorial Day we have a lot going on, getting together with neighbors for a cookout, having Home Depot come in and install blinds in our windows, going to McKinney, TX for Jude's 3rd birthday party, going camping with Hilary, Joshua and Jude in Sulphur, OK, going to OKC for a day for a continuing education course and then Jen and Ryan are coming here for Memorial weekend, we are so excited!!!

Daddy and Jalen

Mommy and Jalen

Sunny days in OK

2010-03-16T21:21:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures from the last couple days. The rest are on Facebook so check them out!

2010-03-05T20:08:00.001-08:00

Out to dinner with some friends

Carter (one of my lil patients)

Carter and Jalen at dinner

Jalen climbing on the step stool

Jalen getting set up for his nightly bottle, he does this every night when we mention the word bottle

New pictures of Jalen

2010-02-21T19:12:00.000-08:00

Jalen is just cracking us up lately, he laughs out loud so often and it's so cute and he is just getting so smart we can't believe it! When asked, he can point to his ears, head, tongue, mouth, foot and his favorite...belly button. He has become obsessed with belly buttons now that when you ask him to show his, he immediately will go up to you and try to lift your shirt up so he can see yours, I guess it's only fair :)

He also seems to understand almost everything we say to him and generally follow directions, unless he wants to have selective hearing and you can yell at him as loud as possible and he won't even acknowledge you (this is especially when he is near the dog dishes because he loves to play in them of course!)

Jalen in his new jammies from Grammie

Jalen loves straws

playing on his laptop, starting to get a little hair too

He pulled the step stool up to the window so he could watch the rain

In another pair of new jammies from Grammie

This seems to be his pose of choice lately, always pointing and followed by a "huh" sound

Mommy trying to do her back exercises after injuring herself in Jalen's tunnel and being swarmed by Laila and Jalen, also Ali but she moved by the time the picture was taken

Jalen in a new outfit from Karen and Otto from Crystal Lake

Night time with Daddy

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T19:43:00.000-08:00

Jason and I both have tomorrow off work for President's Day and we have had a very nice weekend so far...we went out last night for dinner, dessert and wine and Jalen stayed home with his first (non-family member) real babysitter, Emily. Jalen loves Emily, she is a 19 year old college student that works at his daycare so it worked out great, we loved having her too and definitely will be having her again. we also went to one of my patient's birthday parties and Jalen was Mr. Social as usual. We also got a random snowstorm for a few hours this morning so Jalen loved watching it out the window but it warmed up later in the day and is practically already gone.

Jalen posing today in a new outfit from Grammie (thank you!)

Mr. Serious

My patient Carter and his mom Heather...Carter had a stroke before or during his birth and does not use his left arm very well and is a little delayed in his motor milestones so I see him every week to work with him, he's such a sweetheart and I love working with him.

Heather, Carter, Jalen and Me

Jalen sitting patiently watching Carter open gifts (and eating a cheeto apparently)

Trying to get his slippers on that Auntie Julie and Uncle Brian bought him (little blue fuzzy clog slippers), his feet are a bit chubby even for these still so we did get them on but they didn't stay long enough for a good picture, we'll work on it :)

Laila begging at the kitchen countertop while I make dinner

Ali wearing her new collar and tag

Laila wearing her new collar and tag

Jalen sleeping on the floor (this was after he fell asleep in my arms and then semi-woke up fussing and turning so I let him climb off the couch and instead of running around like I expected, he laid down on the ground and continued his sleep (not for long though, of course we moved him right after the picture, to his crib)

New videos of our lil' man

2010-01-31T19:03:00.000-08:00

Dancing Machine

Laughing at the icicles...Jalen couldn't get enough and actually kept bringing us his shoes and winter hat to go back outside, so cute.

Our Little Smart and Adorable Man

2010-01-26T19:58:00.000-08:00

Jalen dancing to Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

Jalen is getting too smart, I talk to him all of the time like he understands me and always have but now he definitely does understand and it cracks me up...I can't believe I am the mom to a toddler now who is getting to be so independant, no longer a little infant :(

Funny Jalen Videos from Tonight

2010-01-25T18:38:00.000-08:00

Laila and Jalen Playing... watch the very end, it's the best part!

Jalen apparently performing a new trick, bear crawling, he must have learned it in daycare because he just started doing it tonight for the 1st time...made us laugh as you can tell :)

New Funny Pictures of Jalen

2010-01-20T18:02:00.000-08:00

Jalen decided he didn't want to take a bath tonight...1st time ever! Bath time is usually his FAVORITE time ever but tonight he just cried everytime his feet touched the water so he got a sponge bath instead. In the meantime, I had already undressed him so I put a diaper and a robe (notice the robe Mark and Jen, finally fits him and we love it!) on him and let him run around to get tired. He loved running around in the robe and was fascinated by it so I got some cute pictures...he also wouldn't let go of his rice cake so it is in his hand with every picture :)

Feeding Laila a rice cake, of course Wheel of Fortune on in the background

Playing peek-a-boo behind the curtains, his new favorite game

close-up picture without the flash

showing all he has under his robe

so happy in his robe

Thanks for the pjs Auntie Jen and Uncle Ryan

Playing in the fridge, another new fun thing Jalen has learned

Jalen's Bite Wound from Daycare

2010-01-15T19:20:00.000-08:00

So Jalen finally got bit back. I picked him up from daycare today and had to sign a note stating "Jalen was playing in the tunnel with a friend when the friend bit him on his back, the friend was removed to self control and an ice pack was applied to jalen's back" notice the full bite mark on Jalen's right shoulder blade? Maybe this will teach him :)

Bath time

Close-up on the bite mark

Note the full mouth bite mark on Jalen's shoulder blade

New Info, pictures and videos

2010-01-12T18:34:00.003-08:00

Hilary, Jalen, Matt, Jason and Joely

Jalen is feeling better after being diagnosed with hand, foot and mouth, still lots of congestion but the excessive drooling and not eating is subsiding. Jalen now is 30.5 inches tall and weighs 22 lbs 11oz so he is in the 25th percentile for weight (as usual) and 38th percentile for height (who would have thought he was closer to average to height than weight!)

Last weekend Hilary and Matt came to visit and we had so much fun, although Jalen was very fussy and drooling like a "mastiff" as Matt pointed out.

Yesterday Jason's dad (Jim O'Neal aka: Boompa) had surgery on his neck (a laminectomy on his cervical spine, C3, C5, and C6) to increase the space around the spinal cord and alleviate some of his pain, numbness in tingling and further issues with potential cord compression. He is at Mercy Gilbert Hospital right now and should be going home by the weekend. I told the PT's there that I used to work with to be extra nice to him so hopefully they are. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

Well below are some pictures and videos from recently, Jalen was dancing all over the place right before I got my camera to tape it and of course decided to just stare at the tv when I wanted to get him dancing but he does do a little performane here so enjoy! Usually he tries to dance like Goofy on here so if you've seen the show (Mickey Mouse Clubhouse) you'd understand.

Jalen on his train (notice the wet shirt from all the drool)

Jalen and Hilary

watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse very intently and dancing a bit

Jalen's face in a zone at his show

New Pictures

2010-01-01T18:40:00.001-08:00

carefully watching the dogs we rescued this morning

vaccuming the floor

eating/teething on a rice cake

More Jalen fun

2010-01-01T18:40:00.000-08:00

Chasing Jalen

2010-01-01T18:17:00.000-08:00

Here's another picture from last week while we were out to eat at our favorite restaurant here in
Ada...Santa Fe Steakhouse (Jalen really loves it too because all the waitresses flirt with him and he definitely flirts right back, even offers them some of his mac n cheese when they walk by)

Jalen's Fast Feet

2010-01-01T17:55:00.000-08:00

Happy New Years

2010-01-01T12:40:00.000-08:00

Happy New Years Everyone...
we had a wonderful New Years Eve last night with our friends down the street and some of their friends visiting from out of town. We had appetizers, drinks and played lots of games (Mad Gab, Things, and Smart Ass...I won the last of course!) and stayed up well past midnight. Jalen slept through the night pretty much and only woke up one time during our celebrations which was pretty good since we were not quiet and there was 7 of us.

Yesterday morning Jim and Chris has to head back to AZ so we got some group pictures before they left and I went to work. We had a great time with them although it went so quickly and we wished they had more time here! They did get to see all of Ada, my work, the park, ate at a few of our town famous restaurants and of course spent lots of time playing with their little angel, Jalen.

Jalen has been doing some pretty funny things. He likes to throw his dirty clothes in the hamper all by himself and today when I told him he had a poopy diaper and I needed to change him he looked at me and walked to his room and pointed up to the changing table so I lifted him up and he laid there happily (that does not happen too often!). He also started jabbering and trying to use his tongue, I swear I thought he was just going to start having a converstaion with real words the way his mouth started trying to form the words. Here are some pictures from Christmas day up until yesterday morning...I'll try to post some videos later this weekend of him running around the house and playing with all of his new toys.

Jalen with Nana and Boompa

Family picture

On a walk at the park

playing with Nana and Boompa

Nana and Boompa at the park

riding his horse he got last Christmas from Auntie Beth and Uncle Scott...he loves it now

Kissing his baby doll

watching his favorite tv show still...Wheel of Fortune (he has to watch it every night with dinner)

Posing in a pair of his new fleece jammies from Grammie

Showing off his ornament from Grammie, a sock monkey...he loves monkeys and of all animals knows exactly what a monkey is when you ask him to pick it out.

Hanging out with Laila

Go Illini

Dogs Playing in the Snow

2009-12-25T11:07:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!!!

2009-12-25T10:04:00.000-08:00

Ooopsies, Jalen fell over, but nice catch!

Momma and Jalen

Having so much fun in the snow

Our huge snow drift in the back (probably about 3 feet high)

shaking off the snow from his hands

Daddy and Jalen

Shaking off snow after falling face first

sharing snow with Laila

Posing in his new outfit from Grammie and Papa

Playing in our backyard Christmas morning

Jalen loves the snow so much...we need to get him a snowsuit and boots so he can really play in it next time.

Shaking off the snow

Jalen's balancing act

2009-12-22T19:06:00.000-08:00

Eating and giving kisses

2009-12-22T18:52:00.000-08:00

This one's for Grammie...

2009-12-21T18:45:00.000-08:00

When we got home today we had 2 boxes on our door step with some gifts and Jalen tried so hard to pick them up and put them under the tree, of course I didn't get it on camera the first time around so after trying to prompt him to do it again, this is what I got....some climbing, falling, dancing, clapping and a bit fussy at the end. Enjoy!

13 Months Old

2009-12-13T18:29:00.000-08:00

I apologize for the time lapse since my last posting but we have had a lot going on here and time is just flying by with the holidays! Jalen is now 13 mths old and growing up so much, he is running all over the place, jabbering all day and night, laughs all the time (big belly laughs) and is still loving his daycare. My parents were out here for Thanksgiving and Jason's parents will be here the day fater Christmas until New Years Eve, we are so excited and are sure Nana and Boompa are too since they haven't seen Jalen since we moved in Sept and are going to see a whole new Jalen when they get here. Kim and Rob are visiting us right now from Houston and we have had so much fun with them, we'll miss them when they leave tomorrow. Here are some pictures from the past week and the pictures from the time between my last post and this one can all be found on my facebook.

Jalen playing with his cars Kim and Rob brought him

After a long fun day at the park

Rob, Jalen and Jason, getting ready to go home from the park

Congrats to Kim and Rob..newly engaged!!!!

Kim, Jalen and Joely

Jalen swinging with Daddy

Jalen swinging with Mommy

Jalen having fun with Kim and Rob

Kim and Joely (friends from PT school)

Jalen cruising around the park

Kim, Jalen and Joely

chasing the geese/ducks

Jalen in his camo fleece jacket, it's been in the teens in the mornings here lately...brrr!

Big toothy grins

Leaving home for day care

On the phone again..Jalen's new favorite hobby

My preppy little boy in his sweater vest

1 Year old and doing so much now

2009-11-20T20:31:00.000-08:00

Jalen is growing up so quick, he is 1 year old now and in the past week he does the following:
*No longer crawls, just stands up if he falls down and keeps walking
*Runs/walks really fast without falling (most of the time)
*Dances 2 ways, 1. by bouncing/squatting repetitively and 2. by marching/stomping up and down while watching his feet
*Can clap and will clap appropriately (ie: if you sing his favorite song "itsy bitsy spider")
*Makes kissing noises and gives real kisses now
*Can blow kisses with the back of his hand when you tell him to
*Can pat the back of his hand on his mouth while making a noise to make the indian chanting type sounds
*Is off formula and onto 2%milk and only nursing 1x in the am and 1x in the pm
*Eats with all the toddlers at daycare and loves it there
*Walks around the house with the phone to his ear
*As soon as he hears the bath water running, he comes flying into the bathroom and stands at the tub to watch and almost tries to climb in
*Tries to climb on the couch but when you put him on it, he is able to turn himself around and slide off of it on his belly...he also like to jump off of it if he sees you are there to catch him.

Walking around after his 1st birthday party with his balloons

Having fun outside after the party, yes it was warm here in OK in November

Eating cake for the first time!

Happy Halloween!!!

2009-11-03T18:17:00.000-08:00

Here are pictures of Jalen as a little monkey for Halloween. We only trick or treated at 2 houses but Jalen walked right up to the door and reached into the bucket of candy and chose what he wanted, just like a big boy. He is walking all over the place now, really enjoying daycare, eating regular food, pointing, talking and finally waving like a big boy. When I drop him off at daycare, he smiles and waves good bye to me and when I pick him up he smiles, waves and then reaches for me. He goes outside for playtime now and loves playing with the other kids. He will be 1 year old next week and is weighing in at about 21 1/2 lbs! Enjoy...and more to come.

walking around our backyard

Jalen was walking around like a pro and even in the bulky monkey feet slippers!

Jalen walking and jumping

2009-10-22T15:33:00.000-07:00

Our little angel walking around the house!

Having fun in his crib with Grammie before bath time

11 mths and counting!

2009-10-16T20:02:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a while since I got new pictures up here but thought I'd get a few tonight so you can see how big Jalen is getting. 11 months old now, walking when he wants to, in daycare and loving it and coming home with artwork and his first fundraiser...anyone want any flavored popcorn??? Our little man is growing up so quickly...I have to start planning his 1st birthdaym any ideas?

Jalen's 1st day of "school" daycare...all packed up and ready to go

petting Ali

All 3 kids waiting to be fed cheese by Grammie

Lovin' bathtime

Oklahoma

2009-09-27T18:09:00.000-07:00

Jalen showing his big toothy grin...4 on top now and almost 4 on bottom!!! Also his new favorite thing to do is to walk all by himself from one person to another, he can take 4-5 steps by himself!

Jalen invading Jude's personal space yet once again!

Jalen following Jude

Precious Jude

My dining room

The entry way, our room is to the right and the coat closet and laundry room is to the left

The kitchen/dining room

Jalen's 10 mth chair picture (although it is more like 10 1/2 mths because of the move)

my new centerpiece I made for the fall...can't believe it's almost or is already, here!

Our laundry room, loving the new washer and dryer...they play music when they are done, kind of scared us all at first!

Jason's closet in the master bath

my closet in the master bath

the master bath

our bedroom

still have lots of unpacking in here to do

Jalen's closet

Jalen's room

The entry way to the hallway with the guest room, guest bath and Jalen's room...pictures of the guest bath and room to come, we're working on it now.

Walking in the new home

2009-09-20T13:11:00.000-07:00

Jalen loves walking around the house with his walker and is getting pretty good at it too, just have to re-direct him when he runs into walls and furniture but he thinks it's hysterical. More pictures of the house to come tonight so keep checking back.

Getting settled in

2009-09-19T21:01:00.000-07:00

So we are getting settled in and I thought I'd try to get a few pictures up. Our room and the spare room is still in boxes for the most part but I will keep posting pictures as we get rooms set up. Jalen's is almost done but he's sleeping so I didn't want to wake him with a camera flash, I'll post more tomorrow. Jalen got another tooth in this past week so he now has 4 on top and 3 on the bottom, looks like number 4 is coming in soon too. He also is loving walkign around oour furniture with his pusher/walker and we got a great video that I will post tomorrow of it. Jason has worked for 3 days now and so far so good, his 80 mile drive might get cut down to 60 from a new way he heard about so he'll be trying that out on Monday. The girls (Ali and Laila) are adjusting well too, they do like thier big backyard when we are out there with them, but don't really know what to do if we aren't. Hilary and Jude are coming up on Tues-Thurs to help get our house in order more and play and my mom will be here by next weekend to start watching Jalen until we can get him into one of the day cares he is on a wait list for. I start work on the 28th (1 week from Monday) and am excited although I have been enjoying being off a working schedule since the 4th of July, back to reality! So far we are enjoying it here in Ada. Everyone is really nice and we actually have more stores and restaurants than I thought, although so far I have spent about everyday at Walmart. Well, let us know what you think and check back tomorrow...more pictures to come :) Good night!

Jalen's sad face..."I miss all my family and friends in AZ"

A view of my cabinets in the kitchen..they are really deep and spacious which is so nice to finally have more room and not have everything so crowded.

Our kitchen with a view of the inside of one of my 2 pantry/cabinets...again, very nice to have and not have to store everything in containers in the garage. The fridge is pulled out some because the molding at the bottom sticks out a little too much for the fridge to slide in so we're waiting on them to come out and fix it.

another view of the kitchen...black granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, walnut finished oak cabinets

The living room...nothing on the walls yet but the bookshelves are almost back to normal. The goal is to sell this TV and get an LCD to hang on the wall :)

Our new couch and love seat...microfiber, just arrived today! Notice the big gray mass against the wall, that is our new lovely dining room table (top) covered and just waiting on the legs to arrive since the store forgot to send them with us...so we are eating at the breakfast bar for now.

A view from the entry way/front door area.

The back corner of the living room, now Jalen's corner. Still have some decorating to do but it is nice that he has his own section now.

Daddy and Jalen napping in Jalen's chair

drinking from a straw

Holding hands/paws with Laila

All packed up in AZ and ready to go to OK!

Happy Birthday Grammie!!!

2009-09-11T06:23:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday to you...Happy birthday to you...Happy birthday dear Grammie...Happy birthday to you! I love you and miss you sooooo much and hope you have a wonderful birthday today. I can't wait for you to come visit me again soon. Love you lots!

Happy Birthday Grammie

We thought you'd like this one Grammie...this is Jalen's new thing...he has learned how to spit and thinks it is funny, especially after we tell him "no". The worst is he loves to do it right after he takes a bite of food so we almost need to start wearing protective gear during feeding times. He's gonna be a handful.

Jalen walking with his walker

2009-09-06T11:12:00.000-07:00

here's a side view

from the front

from the back

Jalen's 1st Football Game

2009-09-06T08:48:00.000-07:00

Jalen went to his first football game last night, ASU vs. Idaho State and ASU won of course! We only stayed until half-time since it was already way past Jalen's bed time but he did pretty good. A little hard to get to bed afterwards but overall he was a very good boy!

A happy child with snacks and relaxing on Boompa's lap

Concentrating on the game

watching the fireworks

with Auntie Julie and Uncle Brian

At home befoire the game

this is my football face...grrrr!

September already???

2009-09-03T20:23:00.000-07:00

Yes, we are still in AZ as of now, just waiting to hear if we can get approved for a house in OK and as soon as we get our house, we will be off. We are getting very anxious because Jason is supposed to start work on the 15th and I need to start sometime before the end of the month. We have found a few houses we love but need to see more pictures before we make a decision considering we may likely be buying a home before ever stepping foot in it...craziness, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

Jalen is talking up a storm lately, nothing really meaningful but more than jabbering. It's almost like he's placing inflections on his babble to sound like he's saying something and it is so funny. Sometimes it's in the form of loud yells when he's excited or sometimes, usually in the early morning, it is very soft and sweet and such a tiny little voice talking. He is continuing to say "ma ma" and B and D noises but nothing concrete yet. He loves to be independant now and prefers to feed himself finger foods and drink from a straw. He likes to run down the hallway and kick a ball if you give him 2 fingers to hold onto while he does but it is so cute, he just takes off!

We had Lindsey, Ben and Charlee over for dinner tonight and had a great time. Charlee is so cute with Jalen and gave him big hugs and then tried to sit on his lap, my fault though for jokingly acting as Jalen saying "come sit on my lap" since he was slapping his legs as if that is what he was saying, so she was just following directions :) After dinner we went across the street to the open grassy area and took pictures. Lindsey takes great pictures so she took some of Jalen and some of us with him too. The pictures below are just what Jason and I have taken but I will put Lindsey's up (if she gives me permission of course) when I get them. Check out her website too, you can get to it from here, just click on Simplee Photo under my list of friends and family websites.

My little chubby bunny!

Charlee giving Jalen a big hug

"good baby"

Me and Mommy

Here's my serious pose

Saying good-bye to Charlee

Yay, High Five!

Jalen said his first word!!!!

2009-08-26T20:08:00.000-07:00

Tonight Jalen said "ma ma"...yay!!!!! I don't know if he knows the meaning of what he said but it seemed like as soon as he started to crawl he would say "ma ma, ma ma" It is very clear though and so weird to hear it come out of his mouth. Now he thinks he is something else and is just talking away trying out other sounds. He is also crusing pretty well now and cruised the length of our coffee table but if he sees me sitting there, he tries to let go and reach out for me. If you hold out your hand he can take a few steps holding on with one hand but as soon as he gets both hands, he takes off. He also stood by himself today a couple times, only for a few seconds, but still impressive to me. Jalen also has another odd TV favorite...drum roll please....The Golden Girls! Not so much the show but he is glued to the opening song and just stares at all the "grandmas" and as soon as the song finishes, he flaps his hands and pats them on his legs and giggles. So in recap, Jalen loves Wheel of Fortune, Family Fued, Price is Right and now Golden Girls....Sesame Street and Baby Einstein do nothing for him :o)

Below are some pictures of Jalen with his pj's half way on...he thought it was funny to have his shirt stuck on his head.

Happy Birthday Aila

2009-08-22T20:00:00.001-07:00

Aila turned 1 year old and we celebrated with her tonight at her Princess Party. Here are some pictures from the night...my battery wasn't charged so I didn't get any good ones of the birthday girl eating cake or opening presents, so see Vanessa's blog for those :o)

Aila (1 yr) and Jalen (9 mths)

Precious little heads...Jalen's produces quite a glare!

Baby Caelum having fun with his Nana

Jalen holding Aila back from something...probably a toy he had his eye on

Jalen Playing in his Pack-N-Play

2009-08-21T07:46:00.000-07:00

9 mth happenings

2009-08-20T19:35:00.000-07:00

Jalen is a little over 9 months now and had his 9 mth check-up today. He is very healthy, 19lbs and 7oz and 28 1/2 inches long. He is right on track with height but still in the 25th percentile for weight. No concerns though because he is growing as he should, just smaller than the average population, no big surprise with me and Jason being his parents, not the biggest people in the world! He loves his pediatrician and we are all sad that we have to leave him when we move to OK, hopefully we find someone just as nice and patient.

Jalen has been eating rice puffs and doing great with them so I gave him some dehydrated yogurt chips and he loved them. I decided to start giving him small bites of avocado and bananas and he loves being able to eat like a big boy so much now, he is starting to refuse being fed the pureed baby food. Tonight I gave him peas and again he was so happy so now I need to start thinking about foods I can cook at home and chop up for him to eat...any suggestions?

Jalen sitting in his toy tub one morning

fast asleep after a day with the photographer

"are you talkin' to me?"

getting in mommy's diaper bag to find more toys

a little monkey butt

loving to walk up and down the halls with mommy

more of Jalen's great facial expressions

Jalen's Stylin'

2009-08-14T20:28:00.000-07:00

Thank you Julie for my stylin' polo and matching jacket...it's still a little big on me but I did wear the polo to my playgroup today and got lots of compliments, this is before I dumped my sippy cup filled with water on me and mommy had to change me into a dry t-shirt :(

Working on my pose for GQ Baby

Some pictures from today

2009-08-12T19:20:00.000-07:00

This is Jalen's face after me yelling "NO" to him trying to pull the dog bowls over, he then proceeded to laugh after I said No as usual...I don't know what I'm going to do with him!

Trying to pull up onto the dog bowls

looking innocent before turning quickly to pull the bowls over

Jalen checking out his new toy

Pulling up onto mommy's legs while taking pictures

Sitting on his new toy, he hasn't really figured it out yet but soon he'll be scooting and walking all over with it

Notice the shorts grammie, they actually fit him and they're 18 mths...they're big but they do fit and he can grow into them

Happy 9 Month Birthday Jalen

2009-08-11T20:44:00.000-07:00

Our little man turned 9 months old yesterday! We cannot believe how fast time flies and looking back to see how tiny he was just seems so surreal. I have taken pictures of him in his personalized chair every month since we brought him home and below are the pictures in order from a couple days after coming home up until tonight...enjoy :)

5 Days Old

1 Month Old

2 Months Old

3 Months Old

4 Months Old

5 Months Old

6 Months Old

7 Months Old

8 Months Old

9 Months Old

Jalen Spinning on the Floor

2009-08-02T18:40:00.000-07:00

Jalen was sitting on the floor playing this evening and just started spinning on his butt, round and round and then he'd stop, play a little more and then spin again...it was so cute and I got the tail end on video...enjoy!

Mary's Visit

2009-08-01T23:32:00.000-07:00

Well, we have had a busy week and the near future is not looking any less busy for us anytime soon! Mary was out here since Tuesday evening and we had a great time, she even taught Jalen to do "high five" and he now does it with both hands, he gets so excited and proud of himself after he does it too. He is starting to wave hi and bye too, it is not every time but here and there he does try to squeeze his hand and flap his arm. I took Jalen to the doctor's because he was really congested, rubbing his eyes more than normal, sneezing and coughing so I thought he might have allergies. The doctor said he sounded and looked good and to just continue the cool mist humidifier and saline nasal spray with suctioning to work out the congestion. He is getting 2 more bottom teeth in and wants to bite everything, and it hurts!!! We bought him a t-shirt that says "beware, I bite", I'll get a picture of him in it soon. He now weighs 18 lbs 14oz and is still in the 25th percentile, so all of you who think he is chubby, he is, but he is still smaller than 75% of the population his age. He is crawling more and more too but still prefers to belly crawl in between. His crib is now at the lowest setting it can be and he can pull himself up on our legs and his stroller too in addition to his crib. He loves his exersaucer and jumps in it so much we might have to try the Johnny Jump Up again soon.

Because of his teething, he is not napping well and is getting up sometimes in the middle of the night to nurse so I am very stressed out right now with trying to study for boards and having no time to do it. It also doesn't help that Jalen only wants me to hold him when I am in the room and that Jason still cannot really help a lot due to his restrictions from his shoulder surgery. I also found out that I have a herniated disc between L4-L5 and a bulged disc between L5-S1 which explains my bad back pain the past few weeks but that is not helping the situation either. I did finish my presentation at school on Friday and will be graduating next Saturday...1 more week until I am Dr. O'Neal to some of you :) After that I "just" have my boards to pass and then I can start working in OK, keep your fingers crossed.

Saying good-bye to Auntie Mary

Yay high-five

After 2 hours of swimming on Friday

Crawling around and laughing at the dogs

Playing on the laptop

Mary and her new best friend (that she thought would bite her head off at first)

I will try to keep up with updating the blog as much as I can, it will have to be late at night when I can't retain PT info anymore but need some outlet to decompress before bed.

So many new tricks for Jalen

2009-07-28T12:28:00.000-07:00

Cooling off in the 115 degree AZ weather

Trying to escape from the pool

Laughing at the dogs running around him

Splashing water all over his face

Laila is enjoying the extra-large water bowl she found

...and the climbing begins!

hands firmly in place...

slowly sliding onto the belly to make getting his feet up easier

and pull in the knees for a full quadruped position..."I'm up!"

"Now I need to get down from here...hmmmm"

"This is where mom helped me down and paused the picture taking so I wouldn't hurt my head when I face-planted, thanks mom! Now I'm off to crawl"

Standing up in the crib again. This is how I find him after every nap now. He hasn't figured out how to sit down from standing so he either cries while standing until I get him or if he gets really frustrated he just falls backwards. he has hit his little head on the mobile attachment 2x now...just a hazard of the game :)

Standing in the crib now!

2009-07-26T05:53:00.000-07:00

In just one day I walked in and found my little angel on his knees peering over his crib and within a couple hours later I come in to find him standing in his crib! Apparently he can pull to stand now so after the pictures, I lowered his mattress down so he is safer..but my back is not! He really is getting so big and it seems like he is at the age now when every day there is going to be something new that he does. He did go back to taking a bottle before bed last night, thankfully, because it is the one time when Jason can feed him and I can get stuff done. For 3 days he only nursed from me and ate his fruits and veggies from the spoon but no bottle at all, other than to use as a chew toy, I hope it lasts.

Here are some pictures just from yesterday. Our internet and home phone hasn't been working great and we get service here and there so if anyone is trying to reach us and can't, try our cell phones, it should all be fixed by Tues though.

Once again, Laila is right by Jalen's side, especially when he is by me, Laila can't ever get enough attention from either of us

Playing on mommy with Laila

Laila giving Jalen a bath

Notice Jalen's firm grip on Laila

combined this is about 95 lbs of weight on me right now! I can't breathe!!!!

"I don't want my picture taken right now" -Step Brothers

Playing with the mobile

Teething on the crib

"It's too early for flahses, I just woke uop mom"

Standing in his crib for the 1st time!

What a big boy!

Look what Jalen can do

2009-07-25T08:21:00.000-07:00

When I went in to get Jalen out of bed this morning this is how I found him...

On his hands and knees peering over the crib and watching Laila and Ali who were staring back at him

Frustrated by all the flashes so early in the morning

"Come on mom, enough, let me out of here!"

He's growing up so fast and now is officially able to crawl, although he can still go faster on his belly so he prefers it right now but did crawl about 3 feet this morning!

Swimming, Restaurants, and Mom's Group

2009-07-22T06:50:00.000-07:00

We went swimming at Nana and Boompa O'Neal's house on Sunday after going out to lunch to celebrate Jason and Sarah's birthdays at lunch. Jalen loves the water so much and got to swim with Ali for the first time, Laila remained inside as she will have nothing to do with the water! We also went out to dinner one night and Jalen tried his first lemon, he liked it too and ended up sucking on 2 after dinner. Last Fri I got a few pictures of him playing at the Mom's Group I go to every Fri. He played with Aila most of time time and just watched the other kids for the most part, he loves to people watch! We have been having crazy monsoons here and Jalen was very intrigued by the rain and wind. We tried to get pictures standing in the garage but the rain was blowing so hard they didn't turn out great but he did like watching it from inside. For those who have been asking, I am alright, I got rear-ended on Monday while stopped at a red light. A girl got clipped by another car trying to change lanes without looking and as a reaction she switched lanes quickly without looking and my car stopped her. She then got confused and afetr hitting me, hit the gas again and hit me again! I am fine and Jalen, luckily was with Chris. I have a rental right now because my car was not driveable from behind and shoudl be getting the quote soon on what the damage was. My back, that was already hurting me, is now even worse so I am getting x-rays today and hopefully nothing is wrong. I'll keep you posted. For now, here are the new pictures from the past weekend.

drying off after swimming

Swimming with Nana

Playing with Nana and Boompa

With Uncle Matt at lunch

Being a good boy and eating puffs at lunch

Jalen's 1st lemon!

Playing with Aila

watching the AZ monsoon

Happy Birthday Jason!!!

2009-07-17T05:51:00.000-07:00

Today is Jason's 31st Birthday...make sure you wish the old man a Happy Birthday!!!

Here's some new pictures of Jalen and friends. We had Doug and Vanessa over for dinner last night and the kids got to play. Laila did pretty well too, she's really starting to be more comfortable around kids, Ali of course is always good. Today I have my mom's group at the hospital so I'll be putting new pictures up of Jalen playing with all his little girl friends later.

Jalen in his new car seat, he LOVES it! The Britax Roundabout 50...it is a convertible that goes up to 50 lbs so he should fit in it until he's 4 or 5.

Asleep after running errands with mommy

Jalen asleep on daddy's lap during his bed time bottle...we had to take about 10mins to wake him up so he could finish, otherwise I knew he'd be up in a few hours.

Logan 2 yrs and 2 mths old

Laila playing with Aila (11 mths old)

Precious Aila

Jalen (8 mths) and Aila

Jalen is trying to take Laila's bone away, he grabs her leg and squeezes and then she'll run away, getting what he wants...such a smart little guy.

Jalen drinking his apple juice from a sippy cup all by himself. He just figured out that he has to tip it up the get the juice :o)

Jalen eating banana cereal puffs

This was the first time he actually chewed them and didn't act like he was choking. He ate about 15 puffs and loved them

How he makes this face, I don't know???

Chubby cheeks!

Playing with his trucks

What an angelic little face...he's got a good cover!

Chewing on his baby gum massager brush

Home from our travels and lots of new pictures

2009-07-13T20:03:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful time in IL/TX/OK and I have posted many of the pictures on Facebook so I decided to post new pictures taken since we've been home here so I'm not duplicating any. Jalen is 8 months old now and weighs a little over 18lbs (will have an exact number this Friday). He is pretty much in 9 mth clothes only but some of his 6mths still fit him if they run big.He is full of new things every day it seems.

He now blows bubbles and kind of spits trying, gives "zerberts", "talks" all the time but no real words yet, can take a bath without his bath seat (although I still use it when I give him baths alone for safety), can get up on his hands and knees and take a small crawl forward, still goes down to his belly and mainly army crawls but he is moving pretty fast, is in a new car seat, a convertible that goes from 5-50 lbs rear and forward facing, loves his baby food (all types) and just tonight tried to figure out how to kiss me. He usually opens his mouth and tries to latch on to our lips but tonight before bed he grabbed my face with his mouth open and then instead of trying to suck he stopped and blew into my mouth, he did this 2-3 times before I laid him in his crib...I think he is trying to figure out how to kiss and I have to say it was one of the cutest things I have ever experienced with him! Below are some pictures taken since being home last Thursday...enjoy!

Trying to walk with Auntie Jen

Relaxing with Auntie Anda

Throwing a fit with Auntie Makkeda...I believe Makkeda's words to him were "listen sir.." I don't think he did

In a "food coma" afetr eating sweet potatoes

Ali, exhausted and I think depressed for having to come home after spending the week with Nana and Boompa

Laila recouperating after a week away,such a hard life!

This one's for you Grammie...Jalen's Pooping Face
Probably one of the funniest faces he makes, we just die everytime he does it and this time we finally got it on camera

still pooping

very happy boy after his poop :o)

Playing with Laila in the nursery

Look at that grip!

Laila has to be right by his side at all times, she's so good with him and loves him so much

Jalen at 8 months old

Little feet

Getting ready for our nightly bath

Jalen passed out and on his way to get in his crib for an afternoon nap

Eating , Playing and Swimming

2009-06-29T19:41:00.000-07:00

Eating avocados...yummmm!

Playing with Laila and daddy

Just chillin' on the pool mat

Laughing while mommy spins me

Starting him early...just kidding we never let him actually have it of course!

Loving his new pool float

Jalen's new friend...Ryan Kingston Coomer

Jalen makes the best faces!

waiting for the sunscreen to dry

Coming home soon!

2009-06-27T22:30:00.000-07:00

It is already almost July and in less than a week we will be back in IL for my 10 year high school reunion, will get to visit Grammie and Papa and then are off to TX to visit Hilary, Joshua and Jude, then to OK to check out our future home before coming back to AZ on July 9th. I have 4 days left in my final clincal rotation and then am done...just have to finish up some literature reviews and study for boards and then I will officially be done with school forever! I am excited to get to return to the Mercy Gilbert Mom's Group with Jalen every Friday after we get back from our travels. Jalen loves seeing all the other little babies and is starting to play more and interact so it is such a fun time. He really likes to pull the flowers/headbands off little girls heads and isn't crawling yet but tries to when he sees another baby doing it. Right now he enjoys rocking back and forth pretty vigorously on his hands and knees and it is pretty funny. I weighed him last Friday and he was 17lbs 12oz so I would say definitely by his 8 mth b-day in 2 weeks he will be close to 18 1/2 lbs...big boy!

Jalen wearing his "I stroll Chicago" onesie from Amy...thanks Amy He loves it!

Showing off his new swimsuit...he might get to use it tomorrow too!

Hanging out with Laila in his chair

Thanks for the Ralph Lauren polo jumper Auntie Lorenzo...I thought you would appreciate a picture of me in it while sitting in my chair you bought me :o)

Jalen at 7 months

2009-06-18T21:15:00.000-07:00

Here are some recent pictures from the last couple weeks...Jalen is now 7 months old. I will be getting him weighed tomorrow so we'll see just how big he us then, everyone tells us "he's a big boy!" which he is but he still looks so small, he was just over 16lbs 1 month ago so we'll see. Enjoy

Taking a bath tonight before bed

Metting Josh

Jalen with Nana and Grammie (they don't look like grandmas do they?)

At Boompa's 60th birthday party

Jalen with Auntie Julie

Jalen with Auntie Sarah

Grammie feeding Jalen

Happy 7 Month Birthday Jalen!

Cute Website and Great Giveaway

2009-06-06T22:15:00.000-07:00

For all you moms out there, go online and check out an awesome website: http://www.lbboutique.com/ for cute and hip baby items. The owner of the boutique also does give-aways every so often and I just entered in one in hopes to win a cute little visor beanie for Jalen. My friend Vanessa won the Babylegs for her little girl so cross your fingers for me :o) If you want to enter yourself, here is the link...enjoy
http://passionforbabyfashion.blogspot.com/

Peach Picking and New Pics of Jalen

2009-06-03T21:48:00.000-07:00

Being modest in the bathtub...also laughing because he recently "found himself" and thinks it's funny :o)

Sleeping in his new position after rolling all over the place!

Napping on mommy...notice those long eyelashes

Petting Ali in his Johnny Jump-up/swing Daddy and Uncle Ryan hung outside for him

Looking at the choo choo train with Auntie Jen

Picking his first peach

Picking peaches with mommy and grammie (and daddy, jen, ryan and laura)

Showing off his muscles in his big boy pjs and "goodnight moon" slippers from Melissa

my handsome little man

Jalen's favorite toy right now

Grammie's In Town, Jalen's Getting Better & We're Moving to OK!!!!

2009-05-23T22:17:00.000-07:00

So it has been a very busy week for all of us...Grammie got in town last Sunday and has been watching Jalen while Jason and I are at work & clinical rotation. She's doing great but is learning that 16 lbs is heavier than it seems and that as good as Jalen is, he still wears you out at the end of the day.

Since I last posted, Jalen is doing a little better, the fever has been gone since last weeknd but his cough, sneezing, running nose, and congestion got worse later in the week and seems to be slowly getting better now. I took him to the doctor just to make sure it wasn't anything and it wasn't, just recommended that we keep doing what we're doing, Little Noses Nasal Spray, suctioning his nose, teething gel and lots of fluids. Jalen has 4 top teeth in and now both bottom middle teeth have poked through, he does bite now (on accident) and yes it does hurt! Nursing him is still going fine though, knock on wood he has yet to bite during his feedings, thank God :)

Lastly, I think everyone knows but I accepted a position with the Chickasaw Nation in Ada, OK and we will be moving there in September most likely. We are going to miss everyone here so much but we are both very excited too and will be flying out there after the fourth of July to hopefully get our living situations worked out. We'll keep you updated on everything as we know more but as of now, we still have to figure out a lot of things, our house here, when I can take my board exams, where we're going to live out there, where Jason will work, etc etc. So plan on coming to viist us in OK next year! It's a cute area and from what we saw it is not flat at all, it is green and hilly and yes there are tornados but from what we've been told, not as bad as OK City. As far as where Ada is located...it is about 1 hr from Norman (OU), 1 hr 15 mins frm OK City & closest airport and 2 1/2 hrs from Dallas. Here's a link to the city's website if you're interested: http://www.adaok.com/

Enjoy the most recent pictures!

Jalen rubbing his nose...he's got a little cold right now :(

Sitting on Auntie Jen's lap on our back patio

"Giddy-up Laila"

Taking a bath in my new bath seat, almost to big-boy-bath stage

6 months old!

Bathing in the kitchen sink

Look at my 2 front teeth

Looking very innocent & pulling Grammie's hair

Pictures with my new camera

2009-05-16T21:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we went to a graduation party and Jalen got to play with Logan and Aila and had lots of fun too. It's so cute to see him at the stage where he can start to play with other babies! Last night when we got home right before bed Jalen felt really hot so I took his temp, 102.5, then soon after it got to 103.5! We gave him more fluids, Motrin and placed a cool washcloth on his head and legs while he was nursing to cool him down...it worked and he went to bed at his normal 99 degree temp. At 3:30 he woke up not happy, 102 fever again, coughing, congested, etc etc. By the time I changed his diaper, nursed him and got him cooled down a bit it was too late to make it to an overnight pediatric office so we took him to the ER. Since he is teething and just got vaccinations it could be from a number of reasons and the doctor thought so too, he said Jalen sounded good, looked good and he was happy that Jalen was fussy and alert (mom and dad...tired and not so happy..ha ha) He told us to alternate Motrin and Tylenol until his fever regulates and just keep giving him plenty of fluids so that is what we've been doing all day. Today was rough! Jalen has never been to the point that he is fussy all day and almost inconsoleable but today he would pnly nap for 20 mins ata time and wake up very upset, the only thing that seems to calm him is going outside (which we can't do much of considering the 105 deg weather) and nursing so that is about all I feel like I've done today.

I have split up his vaccinations in the past but this time thought 3 pokes wouldn't be that much more than the 2 he's had in the past...I was wrong...from now on out we will be splitting them up even if it means coming back a week later for 1 little poke! Not that we know it is the def reason he isn't doing well but we all agree it is probably a good chance and the dr. recommened we call our pediatrician Mon morning and tell him what's going on in case the vaccinations were a bad batch and had some additives that are giving Jalen the bad side effects. As far as the upper respiratory issue he is having, that would be separate but probably is being heightened by the vaccination side effects and teething. By the way he has his top 4 teeth in...none on the bottom yet! Well, since he's sleeping, I'm off to bed now too. My mom gets in tomorrow morning and I can't wait, she'll be here for almost a month and will be watching Jalen while Jason is at work and I'm at my final rotation.

Jalen playing with Aila and Logan

Trying to get the blocks in the shape sorter, he got one in too and was so excited!

Thinking about what to play with next...

Sharing a toy with Aila

Stealing Aila's flower after she took his toy

Laila giving Jalen kisses...she loves him!

Jalen's 6 Month Update

2009-05-14T20:49:00.000-07:00

Jalen had his 6 mth check-up today and got his 6 mth vaccinations, he did great but still has a good sized knot on his right thigh that we keep massaging where they gave him a couple of his shots. He has also cut some teeth, the top 2 have came through and the ones on either side of the top two are on their way in too but he is being very good and still sleeping through the night so no complaints here. He is loving the new veggies and oatmeal cereal too but they're just for snacks, he is still mainly on breastmilk and some formula and is growing big and strong! Here's his stats from today:

16 lbs (25th percentile)
26 inches (35th percentile)
Head size, can't remember but 25th percentile also.

I'll put up more recent pictures this weekend, so check back later.

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T16:41:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day was great, it started off with french toast made by jason that was very yummy, then presents, a necklace with Jalen's name engraved from Jalen and a very nice digital SLR camera from Jason...this is also my b-day, anniversary and graduation present considering the cost of it! It is awesome and I'm also getting a free lesson from a prof photographer that Jason knows through dj-ing...also who did Jalen's prof photos. I just started taking a few pictures today but hopefully will get better as I learn and practice.

After, we went to lunch at Garcia's for mexican with the whole family...see all the pictures below.

All the girls (+ 2 baby boys) after Mother's Day lunch...clockwise from Jalen, Me, Sarah, Chris, Julie, Grandma B, Grandma O, Kaylynn, Dottie, Wendy, and Baby Gavin (11 days old)

All the guys after lunch...clockwise from Jalen, Jim, Brian, Dustin, Jason, Grandpa O, John Michael, Baby Gavin, Jeff, Larry, John, and Matt

4 generations of O'Neal men...Jalen, Daddy, Grandpa "Boompa" Jim, and Great-Grandpa John

wearing daddy's hat

eating his first veggie...carrots

Out for sushi with the fam while Brian and Julie were in town

Wearing the onesie Auntie Julie and Uncle Brian got Jalen in France

Pictures taken with my new camera

New Stuff & Lots Going On

2009-04-25T21:38:00.001-07:00

This has been quite a busy week for us and it doesn't look like it is slowing down any time soon! It started last Sun when we finally found a 4-door car we could trade our 2-door in for that wasn't too expensive, yet still nice, good gas mileage and not many miles on it already. We got a 2005 Volkswagen Passat and we love it considering getting the carseat in and out of a tiny 2-door was not fun at all! 1/3 of the miles our 2006 Honda Civic had on it and this one has a sun roof too, an added bonus. (see pictures below)

After leaving with our "new" car we went by Best Buy to look at laptops for me, as many hours as I put on mine and have put on it for the past 2.5 years, it is time to upgrade, plus Jason can now use mine for his homework and such and we don't have to wait for eachother to take turns. I planned on getting a tiny 10" netbook until I found out they are really only good for people who aren't 1) multi-tasking on it and 2) don't care about processing speed (apparently they are extremely slow) and being that I am going to work for the IHS afterwards and all the documentation is done on computers, I can use it then too...SOOO I got the new HP TouchSmart and it is awesome...12", lightweight, touch screen, fingerprint scanner, flip top to write on with the stylus and then capable of turning your handwriting into type, I am still learning all the ins and outs of it but so far am loving it.

Jason is dj-ing tonight for the 3rd night in a row and last night he dj-ed at North Scottsdale United Methodist Church for a Country Chili Cookoff night complete with great food and line dancing taught by 2 local professionals that were very nice. We learned some line dances then they taught Jason and I how 2-step with different spins, now we just need somewhere to go to show off what we learned. Of course Jalen came too and was such a good little boy! He danced, met a lot of new people and was passed out for the ride home.

This is my last week at my current clinical rotation and in 1 week we leave for Dallas, TX to stay with Hilary and her family for the weekend. On Mon, May 4th, we will be driving to Ada, OK for a job interview and a day of touring the town, hospital, PT clinic, neighborhoods, schools, etc and depending on how it goes it could be the site of our future home come this Sept or Oct...we'll keep you all updated when we get home.

Here are some recent pics...

Jalen covering his eyes trying to sleep after eating today

Daddy feeding Jalen his lunch today-we try to do 1 bottle in the day followed by a nap, but today he wasn't having it...no naps = a very fussy little boy!

watching Sat morning cartoons in mommy and daddy's bed...Notice his left hand!!! Kind of goes with his facial expression, like I am bothering him...hmmm

Watching everyone line-dance

Our handsome little man, trying to learn the steps

Mommy and Jalen

Daddy and Jalen

Like the outfit Grammie...we love it, thank you!

We are the palest people in AZ

Wearing my TN onesie, thanks Gina, Heather and Mike!

Sleeping and not letting go of mommy's tank top

My new laptop

Our new car

Happy Easter & More

2009-04-17T21:48:00.000-07:00

Getting ready to go on our nightly walk on one of our cooler nights, we got to get the sweatshirts out for one last time most likely.

Making faces on our ride home from Easter

Kissing his new Glow Worm

Jalen with Hannah and Gracie

With his Godparents Jen and Ryan

Sitting in church Easter morning

Hysterical Laughing

2009-04-17T21:19:00.000-07:00

For some reason Jalen thought this ball was hysterical tonight and glad my camera was right there when I was playing with him!

5 Months Old

2009-04-11T17:50:00.000-07:00

I found my toes!

Such a big boy

not happy with all the pictures

Hanging out with Laura

just being cute!

Jalen Laughing

2009-04-11T11:51:00.000-07:00

More Cute Pics

2009-04-11T10:37:00.000-07:00

5 month pics of Jalen...enjoy :o)

Jalen Rolls---yay!

2009-04-07T19:48:00.000-07:00

3 days from being 5 mths old...our little man has finally got the rolling and the getting the arm out of the way sequenced and can roll over on his own!

Enjoy

Professional Pictures

2009-04-05T22:07:00.000-07:00

I forgot to mention, we got professional pictures taken and they are able to be viewed at:

http://www.stilllifestudios.com/pickpic/gallery/splash.php?gallery_id=271 ,

The password is o'nealbaby

The gallery will be activated for 90 days.

Enjoy!

New Pictures

2009-04-05T21:37:00.001-07:00

I know it's been a little while since I have posted new pictures so I thought I would before Jalen turns 5 months old this week. We won't have a doctor's appt update because his next visit isn't until 6 mths but I will take a picture of him in his little green chair so you can see just how big he has gotten. We had some friends over for lunch today and for a playdate. Mary Kaitlyn was born just under a month after Jalen and at their last playdate they were about the same size, now Jalen is a little chunk and picking her up was so weird and made me realize just how solid he is. Everyone says that about him, that he is like solid muscle but I never noticed it until today, man he is a strong boy!

Jalen with some ink on his face after signing his easter cards

Laila checking out Jalen's toys

Jalen and Mary Kaitlyn

Pulling her hair out, just like he does to mommy

Doctor's Appt Today

2009-03-17T19:45:00.000-07:00

Jalen had his 4 month vaccinations today and he did very well as usual, one shot in each leg and a liquid one that he just swallows. The doctor was very happy with his development and growth.
Here's His Stats:
weight: 13 lbs
height: 24 inches
25th percentile for height and weight!
His head is measuring in the 10th percentile but is growing so no concerns there.

The doctor was amazed at how much he is noticing things and people, smiling, jabbering and how strong he is. He pulled him up to stand from lying on his back and then lifted him off of the table with Jalen just holding onto his fingers. He hasn't rolled over independantly yet but he was making like an inch worm on the exam table today and scooted himself backwards quite a bit by sticking his butt in the air and pushing off of his knees :o) It's bath time now for the little guy, then off to bed, he's had a big day.

Cute random pics

2009-03-16T19:27:00.000-07:00

Smile Jalen!

Like his Disney golf shorts (capris on him)?

His favorite teether, a plastic hanger

4 Months old...such a big boy now

Sitting with his sock monkey...Thanks Margaret!

Getting excited for his bath

Doing a good thing

2009-03-14T17:32:00.000-07:00

I want to encourage everyone to think about stuff they have that they don't use anymore and find someone who could use it. Not only does it really help out someone who may not have the resources you do, but it also allows you to do a little spring cleaning and for a good cause.

I have been meaning to go through Jalen's stuff he has outgrown and give some away to those who need it and today found out about a baby boy who was born 2 mths early at just a few lbs and the mom doesn't have anything for the little guy. We of course have more than enough and even if we have more kids in the future, we have the resources to get what we need. For now there is a baby who desperately needs everything so I have packed up a tote and some bags filled with clothes, blankets, bottles, bibs, socks, hats, formula, diapers, wipes and more. I kept some stuff for keepsakes like his baptism outfit, 1st Christmas, etc but am so happy to have clothes and diapers from preemie sized to 3 mths that I can pass along. As a new mom I received 2 free diaper bags, many cans of formula, prenatal samples and more so I am passing it on to this new mom. If you are in the same situation as I am and have unopened formula and other items you don't use that you think someone else could, don't let it expire or collect dust in your cupboards, give it away to someone who can use it. Or just in general, do some spring cleaning and think about those who have so little and could really use something you have that you don't use.

On another note... below are some more pictures of Jalen.

Brushing him gums before bed with his infant gum massager...teaching him good habits early :o)