What to Do? What to Do?

I just finished the book Julie & Julia which the movie that's coming out soon is based on. I love the idea. Julie decides to cook her way through Julia Child's cookbook in 1 year. It sounds like such a fun thing to do although I'm not sure that I would want to do the French cooking thing because she has to cook some really strange things.
Basically I was inspired by the book and would like to do something similar. I want to immerse myself in something and hopefully find out some cool stuff about myself and what I really enjoy. So, I'm looking for ideas.
I've thought of just using a cookbook that I have and cooking everything in it. That way I have quite the repertoire of foods. Do you have any other suggestions? I want something fun that will result in actual skills in the end. Baking might be fun too.
Let me hear your ideas.

Ohio

Well, we are back from Ohio. Overall the trip was great! Jared was great on the car ride there. We only had to stop 3 times.Jared has decided that he likes to suck these two fingers instead of his thumb. It was really cute. He played really well and only cried a little when he needed to go to sleep.

While in Ohio we stayed at Aunt Susie and Uncle Mark's house. Friday was a nice relaxing day. Saturday we recreated our Day After Thanksgiving Tradition Day. We met Aunt Cindy and Uncle Bob in Sharon, Pennsylvania so we could eat Wings and visit the mausoleum where my grandparents are. Jared seemed to enjoy the trip. This boy is 3 months old and has already been to 5 states. What a little world traveler.
Sunday we went to the Italian fest. Jared spent most of the time in his stroller and even fell asleep amid the music and noise of the crowd. We had some great food and I was able to have my first Elephant Ear of the summer, but apparently it's called a Pizza Fritta by the Italians.
My mom and her sisters really enjoyed spending time with Jared.
Jared did have a bit of a rough time in the car on the way home, but he did so well the rest of the trip that it was easily overlooked, at least by me.
Other info about 3 month old Jared. He loves to sit and stand (with support of course), he has said the word "hi" very clearly several times (I'm trying to catch it on video), he is less crabby (whoo hoo), and he's moved into size 3-6 month clothing because he's so long. Jared is also sleeping much better at night, which has been absolutely wonderful! Some nights I'm able to get 5 straight hours of sleep depending on when I go to sleep. He also seems to be transitioning to longer naps. He's been a short napper since we went to New Mexico, but lately he's been waking up after his normal nap time (45 minutes), but then acting tired or falling asleep while eating. This afternoon he's even taken an hour and a half nap already. Whoo hoo! Things are looking up.

Stranger Danger

Jared is almost 3 months now, which is crazy to me. I'm really hoping that the fussiness will start subsiding soon, but we'll see.
Lately I've noticed that Jared has started screaming when he's in the arms of other people. Rachel and my mom came to visit one day last week and he screamed when Mom took him. He warms up after awhile, but it definitely takes some time. I think he needs to go out more and meet some people.
Rachel stayed here for a few days and really helped out. I was able to get Jared on more of a schedule and I decided to start letting him cry himself to sleep sometimes. I bounce him like usual until he's drowsy, but he often starts crying when I lay him down. It was really nice to have Rachel here to distract me while he cried so I didn't worry about him too much. The crying has definitely lessened and he's learned that he needs to nap. Unfortunately, he is still only napping for about 45 minutes. He does seem to be better rested though. My sleep book that I've been reading says that sometimes babies who are extremely fussy don't show signs of tiredness until they are over tired. I've noticed that Jared has very subtle signs sometimes. He often transitions from smiling to screaming though with no real warning except maybe a pouty lip. Oh well. I'm still trying to figure the kid out as I'm sure I will be for the rest of my life. =)
Overall, things are getting better slowly, but surely. Our next trip is next week and we're going to Ohio to visit with family. Here's hoping that he adapts better this time around.

Videos and An Update

Here's the video of Jared's first swim in New Mexico.

Here's the video of Jared watching fireworks on the 3rd.

Well, I'm hoping that Jared is back to normal. He's been sleeping much better and even falling asleep on his own which has been unheard of as of late. I've figured out that he was not only having trouble readjusting from our trip, but he was also probably going through a growth spurt. Poor kiddo. Things have been getting better though. I'm feeling pretty well rested from the last few days and Jared seems much happier.
He has also started tolerating his baths. He doesn't actually smile or laugh during the bath yet, but he did cry when we took him out, so he's making progress. =)
I am really amazed at how frustrated I can be at him or with the situation and then how quickly all those feelings disappear when he smiles or starts "talking" to me. This whole parenting thing is pretty rough, but most days I really enjoy it (even when he's a complete fuss butt). It's a crazy journey that I'm on. =)

New Mexico and Beyond

Well, the Boggs family has had a very eventful time. We all traveled to New Mexico for Brad's (Jon's brother) wedding. It consisted of a lot of firsts for Jared. He flew on a plane and did fantastically! The first flight he barely made a peep. The flight attendant even gave him a pair of wings. We spent a whole week in New Mexico helping with wedding prep, attending the wedding, and hanging out with everyone. Jared also got to go swimming, but he didn't like it very much. I have a video that I'll post sometime soon. He also stayed in a hotel for the first time. He was good boy for the majority of the trip and it was great to have so much family around to help out while we were running around like crazy.
It was definitely a really good time, but boy did it throw Jared off. The poor boy couldn't sleep like he usually does because we were moving around so often. The time back has been really rough because of this, but today he has started sleeping again. Because he didn't get enough sleep he couldn't sleep well which is so weird. I was getting really frustrated because before we left he was sleeping for 7 hour stretches at night and by the time we got back he was only sleeping for 2 hours at a time. Last night he slept for 6 hours straight and has been napping the day away. He might be growing too, which will help him catch up on sleep. =)
Speaking of growing spurts, Jared has his 2 month appointment on Friday. He was really fussy for the whole thing (because of the sleep issues), but he recovered from his 3 shots pretty quickly. As of Friday he weighed 10lbs 12.8oz and was 24.25 inches long. The Dr. was telling me that he's in the 25th percentile for weight (where he was when he was born) and in the 90th percentile for length. The Dr. actually said, "He's just a long, lanky kid." Sounds like he'll be like daddy. It's actually kind of funny because we have all of these adorable shorts for him that we took to New Mexico and they were all falling off of him because he's so skinny. Luckily at home the cloth diapers are bulky enough to keep them up. =)
Jared has started some new tricks. He now "talks" using several different sounds and even participates in back and forth conversation. I'm amazed at how quickly he is developing and what he is capable of. He has also started putting his hands in his mouth constantly! The family has been wondering if he has started teething (I sure hope not!). He's also started drooling and chewing on things. Wow! They really do grow up fast.
Here's the link for pictures from New Mexico for those of you who are not on facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2056355&id=40802369&l=ca07f5a01d

He's More Fun Now =)

Well up until now, Jared has been pretty boring in general. I love him, don't get me wrong, but he didn't do much. This past week he started playing with his toys. No, he's not suddenly grabbing toys and playing make believe, but he has started batting at toys which he hadn't done before. Now he recognizes that there are other things in the world. It's so fun! Every morning after he wakes up and eats we spend a little time playing with his toys. He's also started smiling a lot more. This morning when he woke up he gave me a big smile. It just melts your heart.
He is still fighting sleep during the day. Who wouldn't though if you just discovered toys and all the other fun things of the world? At night, he's sleeping for a decent amount of time, about 4 hour stretches. Also, some nights he will actually put himself to sleep. He has to be well rested from the day, but it's great when I can just lay him in the pack-n-play and he puts himself to sleep. Overall, he's a pretty great kid! =)

He Just Keeps on Growing

Jared is 6 weeks now! It's crazy how fast time flies. He is becoming such a boy now.
We've gone on lots of adventures this last week. Jared and I went to stay at my parents' house on our own last weekend. We visited with my mom, Rachel, Mimi, Pop, Aunt Linda, and Uncle Phil. He also got to meet Leslie and quite a few other people at an open house. He did so well during all this.

Jared was pretty crabby/fussy for awhile there and it was really wearing on me. I figured out that he was probably overtired, so I worked really hard to get him to nap better. He was fighting sleep during the day because he was so tired. It was really rewarding to be able to get him to sleep and see him become less fussy as he slept more. Jon and I haven't had to bounce him on the yoga ball for long periods of time anymore. Whoo hoo! Jon and I are also working on a bedtime routine which seems to be working (for the 2 days we've done it). I'm definitely ready to have some kind of a schedule. I'm currently working to move up his bedtime though and hoping that he continues to have long stretches of sleep even if it's moved up. It'd be great if the long stretch was after I go to bed, but I guess I can't be too picky.
Jared and I also took a trip to Target this week and he cried, but I had him in my wrap so I felt like I was better able to soothe him. Hopefully soon we'll be able to go out for longer periods of time without the thought of it stressing me out. It also helps that he's been calming down and being less fussy. He does seem to enjoy being out and about though so I need to make sure and have some kind of outing.
Jared is also getting super strong. He can definitely hold his head up for long periods of time. He's still a little bobby, but he is able to control it. I'm still working on getting him to like/tolerate tummy time. He won't stay there for very long and most of the time he doesn't even lift his head. I think he's working on his strength while I hold him up on my shoulder though. Hopefully soon he'll start to like tummy time. Speaking of liking stuff, I also hope he starts to like his baths. Lately he's stopped screaming through the whole thing, but he still freaks out afterwards. Maybe he'll be more comfortable once he can regulate his temperature better.
Jared has also started smiling. It's definitely not an all the time occurrence, but it's fun when it happens. Jon has also noticed that sometimes when he's holding Jared, especially when he's ready to eat, Jared will watch me leave the room. It's nice to know that he knows me, even if it's only for food. =)
I almost forgot to mention that I started using cloth diapers this week since our washing machine is draining correctly now. So far it's going well.
Now that I'm feeling more comfortable with Jared and being a mom. I really need to reclaim myself. Yesterday I went to get a pedicure which was nice and I'm looking into maybe joining a volleyball league. Jon and I are also hoping to spend some more time together reconnecting.