Just thought I’d give a general update since it’s been months since I last posted here. Between doing the mommy thing, my photography business, and running my other blog, I just couldn’t keep up with this blog. But that’s not to say I’ll be leaving anytime soon. I’ll pop in when I get the chance. I’m over on IG way more often though!
Anyway, let’s start with Auggie. He has grown into such a sweet boy. He’s 8 months old and is the silliest, most playful cuddle bug. From the second he wakes up and sees me or daddy, he’s all smiles. He truly only cries when he wants to be held or wants to eat/sleep. We got lucky with such an easy baby. (must mean the next one will be a handful!) As far as milestones go…as expected, he is behind on growth and doing certain things. We’re working really hard on getting him to sit up independently and he’s pretty much there, still a bit wobbly though. He’s now reaching out to grab toys too which is so sweet to watch. He is very small for his age, and I sort of cringe when strangers approach me in the store and ask how old he is because everyone feels the need to add in how small he is for his age when I reply. He’s roughly 14 lbs and 24 inches long. But he’s doing great, considering he was born so tiny, at 4lbs. He’s eating, gaining weight, and growing and that’s all that matters. So that’s that. I can’t believe he’s going to be a year old this Summer!
And everything else. We’re doing really good! The snow is melting and I’m so excited for us to hike and enjoy outdoor fun with my family and friends. Jimmy and I have made a nice home here and have made great friends and memories. I have my four friends here I see and talk to often and that’s enough for me, I don’t need any more. Auggie has two buddies here, Hank and Caden. Us mamas meet every week for playdates and it’s so sweet seeing the boys play. Since Auggie isn’t crawling yet, he just watches contently and the boys come over and sit with him. It’s super cute. This is our last full Summer here in Alaska and we’ll be moving June 2014. Honestly, I can’t wait. We won’t know until early 2014 where we’ll be heading to next. We do like it here and it’s beautiful, but we are so excited to move on and plant our roots somewhere else. We are either hoping to stay overseas in Germany, England or Hawaii, or come back to California. All of our choices are very possible with Jimmy’s career field! I’m going to miss my friends and the relationships I’ve built here so much. But we are so ready to go.
That’s all I’ve got for now. Hopefully I won’t be so inactive here from this point on!
Anonymous asked: whats your IG? and whats your hair routine?
IG: jenmariehammer
hair routine: I wash it at night, put Morrocan oil or Super Skinny Serum in it while it’s wet and brush it out, braid it in a single french braid, sleep, wake up and take out the braid, fix a few kinks with a curling iron and that’s it. My hair is naturally wavy so I don’t really use wave or curl enhancer cream/spray products of any kind.
Anonymous asked: Do you read Kelle hamptons blog? If not, you may be interested in her latest post called 'nella's triple crown'
I follow her on IG more, but I read her blog when I get around to it. I haven’t read that post, but I’ll go check it out. Thanks!
It’s been a long time and I’ve stopped using tumblr for the most part, but Merry Christmas anyway :)
Anonymous asked: Since you had a baby with Down Syndrome, is there a chance your next baby could have it too?
There is a 1% higher chance. It’s happened before, but it’s pretty unlikely. There are three types of Down Syndrome. Trisomy 21 (the standard and most common form of DS) Translocation DS (the kind that could have been passed down and came from one of the parents) and Mosiac DS (they don’t have the extra chromosome on every cell, have higher IQs, and less physical features of DS). Since Auggie has Trisomy 21, it’s likely him having it didn’t come from one of us. We were just the one in 700 who had a baby with DS. The lucky ones, I might add :) If he had Translocation DS, it would be more likely we could have another baby with DS. I probably explained way more than you wanted to know, but this is just an answer for everyone to read in case I get this question again.
Anonymous asked: Hi Jen. I love your blog, and think you have a beautiful family! I always admire your positivity, and outlook on life. I was wondering if you had any advice for trying to get over a break up. I recently got left by my ex so he could date someone else and am having a difficult time. Thank you <3
Thank you very much! In the past, these few things have helped me:
1. Keep yourself busy. Once you get through those first 48 hours when all you feel like doing is laying in bed and crying, make yourself get up, take a shower, and go out. If you choose to sit at home and be sad, it’ll be that much harder to motivate yourself to get up and move on.
2. NO LURKING. No Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr lurking. Don’t do it! Block him from all of it. Trust me, it’ll only crush you more to see status updates/pictures.
3. Surround yourself with family/friends. Ignore the ones who feel the need to put in their 2 cents about your former relationship. Keep the ones who will listen to you cry and vent, or will simply change the subject when it just hurts too much to talk about it.
And lastly, rebound dating/sex will usually just end up with you comparing everyone to him and making you feel like you’re back to square one. You can’t truly be happy with someone until you’re happy on your own.
Hope I helped. I’m sorry you’re having a hard time. Break ups are really hard. It may not feel like it right now, but you’ll get through this :)
Late (as usual), but Auggie turned 3 months on the 21st!
His likes are: Watching tv, watching mommy and daddy talk, tickles, pulling hair, smiling and laughing up a storm! and of course, eating. Always eating.
Dislikes: being put down when he was so comfortable in our arms, tummy time when he’s sleepy, and his car seat.
Oh and it has been brought to my attention that apparently my child is always sleeping in the pictures I post. Really? Hopefully this proves otherwise, because some days I feel like he does everything BUT sleep.
When I was pregnant with Auggie and we found out about him possibly having DS, tons of thoughts flooded my head. Among many of them was the worry that he wouldn’t look like us.
Will he look like me or Jimmy? Will he have our characteristics? Down syndrome babies all look the same…will it even be evident that he’s our son?
He turned three months old yesterday and I realized that I have never been so wrong.. He has my nose, my hair color, and he inherited my love of sleeping in. He looks just like Jimmy when he whines (see above) and he is grumpy when you wake him up, just like his daddy. He also has his smile, which I have yet to document but oh, it’s the sweetest thing. How did I even question it? His extra special chromosome made no difference and the older he’s getting, the more evident it has become. He is so our son.
Anonymous asked: This is probably a weird question, but what does the Bible say about alcohol? I knew Jews and Muslims aren't allowed to drink, but I have no idea about Christians. You're the only Christian I know, so I figured I'd ask you:) Sorry for the bother...
Not a weird question and please don’t be sorry. I couldn’t come up with what to say in my own words though, so here is something I found and c+p:
“What God commands Christians regarding alcohol is to avoid drunkenness (Ephesians 5:18). The Bible condemns drunkenness and its effects (Proverbs 23:29-35). Christians are also commanded to not allow their bodies to be “mastered” by anything (1 Corinthians 6:12; 2 Peter 2:19). Drinking alcohol in excess is undeniably addictive. Scripture also forbids a Christian from doing anything that might offend other Christians or encourage them to sin against their conscience (1 Corinthians 8:9-13). In light of these principles, it would be extremely difficult for any Christian to say he is drinking alcohol in excess to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31).”
And if you’re wondering, I do socially drink sometimes. But 1 or 2 (depending on how strong the drink is) is my limit. I love a glass of wine, margaritas, and white russians. But I am so turned off to drunkenness due to alcoholism with both of my parents and it running in the family that I know my limit and even if it wasn’t something against my religious beliefs, I still wouldn’t be a big drinker.
