Trick or Treat

Last year Jayden was suppose to be born and home enjoying his first Halloween. However, our little guy had other plans! So this year is going to be his first Halloween! I wanted him to have a costume that wasn't the typical animal, so I searched high and low. Then I saw it.....a penguin!! One of Jayden's favorite books has penguins in it and whenever his Daddy says "Penguins" he giggles! So to me it's perfect! Here is the picture of the costume I found..... (Of course our baby will be just as cute!)



Jayden's 1st Birthday Party Theme

Many of you know how much I love planning and coordinating parties and events. So why would you expect anything other than me starting my planning process four months out! I checked blogs, websites, party stores and after an entire month of deliberation I found THE theme! SAFARI!!!!!!!!!


I mean who wouldn't want a safari theme for their 1st birthday! I found the most ideal invitations that I am using as my inspiration. Now that I sent them out, I can share them with you! (We have many surprises that we're keeping from everyone until the party!) Hope you love it as much as Jayden and I do....he whispered to me that it's the best invitation he has ever had for his birthday!!

P.S. The party is at out house! Many of our guests were

uuncertain because of the Park Management Warning!

Love the authenticity of this invite!

Inquisitive

Inquisitive: Given to examination or investigation.

It seems that of late, Jayden is more inquisitive than he has ever been.  He is tireless in his endeavor to discover new things and places. I love watching him explore the house and it seems that his favorite discovery room is the kitchen! I somehow always catch him getting into “trouble” or delving into the deep dark realms of the cabinets!

Now that he is walking, he is even more committed to becoming the Christopher Columbus of the Shappard household!

Meningitis

Those who are close to me know what my family has been though this past mouth. In a nutshell, I caught viral meningitis and was admitted to the hospital on Thursday, September 8 after an exhausting night in the ER. I ended up staying 9 days in the hospital due to several complications. My heart rate was in the low thirties and my spinal fluid was leaking from the spinal tap they performed to determine if I had meningitis.

The pain I was in is indescribable and was made worse by the poor pain management of my doctor and hospital. (They finally got it right after the 5^th day and my angel Dr. Fairchild!) Giving birth to Jayden was by far twice as easy as having the brain swelling/headaches from the meningitis coupled with the spinal fluid leak. When they had me on the heart monitor and the pain was insurmountable, it was the first time in my life that I contemplated death. I could see the unknown future in the eyes of my family. I honestly am not sure if I would have made it if I didn’t have my amazing husband, family and friends who helped me through this difficult part of my life. I love you all from the depths of my soul.

While in the hospital, one of the hardest things was not being able to see my little guy. Thanks to Daddy he kept the following pictures coming so I could see him growing right before my eyes!

 I apologize for the delay in the blog posts, but this virus has kept me off my feet! I have spent the past few days catching up on my blogging and I have now uploaded and backdated my posts from August 28 – October 1. I did not like post dating them, but I wanted to keep the posts and stories of Jayden’s adventures in order. So please forgive me and read the backdated posts at your leisure!

Park Pals

Today we got a text from the Chapman family to see if we were up for going to Park Pals. Todd was working, but J and I decided to meet them there. (Todd’s car is in the shop and he had mine, so when I say meet I mean that we walked from out house to the park. Now please don’t feel sorry for me because it was a little less than ½, but my calves did get a work out!)

We got some great shots of the boys. I couldn’t believe that I was pushing Jayden in a swing at the same park I played at in elementary school and on. My mom actually volunteered and helped build the park.  Talk about experiencing a surreal moment. Who would have thought?

Here are a few pics of our afternoon in the sun!

 Look at that hair flying in the wind!

Jayden’s “FIRSTS”

Stood Without Holding On - September 5, 2011
During Jayden's 9 month photo shoot I was trying to pose him for a picture. For the neck of it I thought I would see if he could stand up by himself. Sure enough he stood for 15-20 seconds by himself!

 

First Steps - August 28, 2011

I was sitting on the floor and Todd was sitting on the couch was Jayden had us laughing as he stood looking outside the French doors. To our amazement he turned toward us and took two steps to the couch! Our mouths were open and we just looked at one another dumb founded. Of course we couldn’t get him to repeat his steps so we could get it on video, but I will never forget my heart lurches as I watch my son take his first steps!

Deli Meat Experience – September 30, 2011

To make life easier, I usually do my grocery shopping while Todd watches Jayden or I run in before I pick up J from daycare. It was a beautiful Saturday and I decided that it would be fun to bring Jayden. We had a great time, or Jayden did flirting with all of the women in the store! His favorite part was snacking on meat and cheese at the deli counter. What a ham!

Pumpkin Patch –October 1, 2011

Jayden and I went to meet up with his Auntie Maggie and family for breakfast, but little did we know that we were going to also visit his first pumpkin patch! The pumpkin patch was within the community of Celebration and it was just precious! Jayden adored sitting amongst the pumpkins and scoping out where he could get into trouble next! Daddy missed out on the trip, but we’re bringing him back to pick out J’s first pumpkin! (Pictures to follow soon!)

Walking – October 1, 2011

The most steps J has taken has been about 4-5 and then he ends it by launching himself into your arms! Well this past Saturday he took it upon himself to start walking everywhere! Poor Todd, he kept missing it and of course Jayden refused to walk when I tried to get him on camera. Well, I finally caught him!!!

Does this mean he isn’t my little boy anymore?????

Hand, Foot and Mouth Virus

While at home recovering myself, we got a call from daycare saying that J had a fever and a rash. I had heard that the Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease was going around, so I picked him up and took him to the doctors to verify what he had. Sure enough he had it!

For those of you who do not know what it is, “Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is a common viral illness of infants and children. The disease causes fever and blister-like eruptions in the mouth and/or a skin rash.”

When I brought him home on Wednesday his leg looked like this…….

Then on Thursday his leg looked like this…….

Of course the pediatrician said this was one of the worst cases she had seen, as did daycare. Lol, when the Shappards get sick we go BIG!



“Tank” IV

For those of you following my blog, you have read the series “Tank” that I have been writing. As I have said before, Jayden’s nickname is Tank. There are things that he does that make us laugh and immediately say “That’s Tank for you!”

I caught J in action again, exuding his “Tank” like qualities. At least this time he was helping me rearrange my kitchen!



What are you doing?

Todd thoroughly enjoys catching J getting into mischief. He is so inquisitive that it is difficult to outthink him at times.

One of Jayden’s most mischievous places in the house is the kitchen.  All parents know that the kitchen is a child’s amusement park! Lol, see how J likes to explore below….



Vacation with the Fam in Port St. Joe

For Labor Day weekend we decided to take a family vacation to celebrate mom’s birthday. We found a fabulous house in Port St. Joe with plenty of space for all of us (Mom, Cathy, Colin, Katie, Todd, Jayden, Me and Jayden’s stuff!) It was our luck that a tropical storm/depression came through, but we did exactly what I wanted…..Nothing! It was so much fun to cook and relax with my family. I miss my brother and Katie so much!

Dinners were amazing…..broiled shrimp dinner, kabobs and loaded baked potatoes and chicken parmesan.  However, the breakfast and desserts were out of this world also! I think I gained 5 pounds!

It was also rare, but we got to watch the FSU season opener together. We were all decked out in our gear and Jayden had his jersey on too!

What a memorable weekend! I love you guys!