Bebe Bigelow

October!

2011-10-30T09:25:00.002-04:00

Annabelle is seriously a good baby. She loves playing by herself, and is happy as can be to sit on the little rug and examine everything around her. She likes the cube with the wooden balls that you slide around, and also the wheel that you spin to make animal noises. She also is obsessed with remotes!

We’ve been really able to see Annie’s personality the last few days. She’s very mischievous and likes to steal Jack’s binkies when he’s not looking and then smile at us with a little glint in her eye. She also laughs at so many things, she’s just fun to be around these days. J

Annie just got her second tooth yesterday, so now she has two on the bottom front. She tends to be fussy the day she gets it, but we now know that it’s coming even earlier because she doesn’t sleep for 2-3 nights beforehand :/ She literally is up every hour, not necessarily fussing – just awake. Then last night she was back to her ‘normal’ routine of bedtime at 7ish, sleep til 4, eat, then back to sleep until 6:30/7:00. I have no right to complain, it took Jack until probably 18 months to sleep that well J

Speaking of Jack, he continues to crack us up. He’s very into giving “huggies and kisses” and can’t give one without the other. He’s been SO excited about Halloween, which isn’t surprising given his obsession with chocolate! But he loves everything about it, especially the ‘pooky’ stuff J All the Halloween games online are his favorites, like Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Imagination Movers and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

We figured out last night that he can do mazes! I had a book of mazes for 2, 3 and 4 year olds and he held his crayon and whipped through them like crazy.

We made spider cookies for the kids’ daycare party after seeing them at the Yacht Club Halloween party on Tuesday. They were a big hit, and when I figure out how to get pictures from my new phone onto the computer I’ll post them.

‘Til then…

And some pictures to go along...

2011-10-04T21:13:00.000-04:00

Jack is 2 1/2 and Annabelle is 6 months!

2011-10-04T20:40:00.000-04:00

As always, it’s crazy in our home these days! Here's a bit of an update...

Jack is so funny – he’s been using “I can’t believe that” appropriately. Seth was on the computer after the Eagles game on Sunday. Jack came up to him and said, “Daddy, Go Eagles lost. I can’t believe that!”

He’s into running and jumping and saying, “Mommy, Daddy, watch this crazy roll”.

We were looking at the Safeway circular and he saw a bag of frozen popcorn shrimp. He said, “Oooh Mommy. I like that. That’s yummy good food. It’s my favorite!”

He’s putting himself into ‘time out’ when he’s upset about something. He’ll tell us something like, “I so sad, I go upstairs and cry in my room. I go in time out.” So funny and yet so sad at the same time ;)

He’s counting everything, and can easily count things to 10. He’s into Mickey still, and has really gotten to love Veggie Tales, which makes me (and Grandmama J) happy since he’s learning about God while he’s having fun! He loves singing/talking along to the movies when he knows the words, and even when he doesn’t know them, he repeats the characters quietly.

He loves playing games on the computer and can play on Disney.com without any help. He uses his finger to move the mouse around and clicks when he needs to. It’s amazing to watch!

Annabelle is as sweet and happy as ever. She is definitely our little cuddler and still wants to be held most of the time.

Annie loves to give ‘kisses’ – she grabs onto your hair and pulls you in for a big slobbery, open-mouthed kiss!

She’s rolling around everywhere and sitting up but shows no signs of crawling. She just doesn’t want to, and I guess that’s okay since two kids moving around will be a lot for us to handle!

She really enjoys her baths and especially loves having water poured on her head!

Finally...

2011-09-18T22:18:00.000-04:00

Annabelle is sitting up and trying to crawl! She laughs and today really started saying "Dada". She's drooling like crazy but still no teeth. She can stand up holding onto something for probably a 1/2 minute and loves to hit everything right now. She gets an amazing, huge smile whenever she sees Jack and is still loving Mickey Mouse. In fact, the two of them are going to be Mickey and Minnie for Halloween :) Hopefully she'll be staying in her room sometime soon, we're waiting on breatheable bumpers for her crib. Oh, and she LOVES the dogs, can't get enough of them and screeches whenever they're around. And she can sit and jump in her jumperoo forever (as long as you're close by) and be thrilled.

But it's been such a crazy few weeks! Jack is hilarious :) He has a wonderful sense of humor and the last couple of days he's wanting us to play with him all the time. It cracks me up when he tries to do "thumbs up" and puts up his pointer finger instead. His speech is so clear most of the time, but I love how he says 'jor-jange' instead of orange. He feels a need to eat a lot of food (even though he doesn't) just so he can 'grow up and be big like Daddy'. Tonight, he ate some mandarin oranges and said "Look Daddy, I ate all these oranges. I'm big like you, I'm not a kid anymore!" Too stinkin' cute.

School is crazy, I'm still adjusting to 3rd grade, a new reading curriculum and the STEM class I'm teaching that has no curriculum. It's probably way too much to take on in one year, but I'm feeling better about it every day. And the third graders are so little and sweet that I get lots of hugs :)

Earthquake!!!

2011-08-23T20:14:00.000-04:00

We had a 5.8 magnitude earthquake here today! Well, the epicenter was about 85 miles southwest of here, in Virginia, but our buildings were shaking. It was the first day of school, first day teaching third grade, and we have an earthquake. The kids noticed it before I did, I figured it was just the building hvac system or a plane flying overhead. Then the whole room started shaking, walls and all, and I had the kids get under their desks. We went into the hallway a short time later and then evacuated the building.

The kids were at daycare, and they evacuated out to the car for a safe spot. They don't seem to have really noticed, except for being a bit more tired than usual since they were woken up in the middle of their naps.

Speaking of naps, Jack is screaming his head off in bed so I'm off...

Back to School!

2011-08-16T23:16:00.000-04:00

Well, I started back to school today. It's deserving of a :) and a :( Jack told me this morning not to go to work, he wanted me to do my work at home :( But it's an easy transition; Mimi is here to watch the kids today and tomorrow so they are happy being in their normal routine at home with mommy gone.

The past week has definitely been rough, with all the sickies going around. On top of the HFM and Annie's ear infection, all four of us have been battling a cold. Jack seems to have it the worst at the moment, but hopefully that will pass in the next couple of days.

Some funny Jackisms from this week:

Mommy, I need my sunglasses to hide from the sun. I don't want the sun to see me!
Aunt Faith, I need to go downstairs. I don't have time for this.

Jack also went through a few days where he apologized for *everything*. It was SO sad, but he seems to have gotten past that with a lot of positive reinforcement. He is, however, having some issues with his speech (it's regressed a bit, he's a bit harder to understand than he was) and his potty training (lots of pee accidents the past few days). I spoke with our school psychologist today about it since she asked how he was doing with Annabelle around and apparently it's a very normal phase for him to go through. That was a big relief to hear from a professional who's also a mom of small children.

Annabelle is still the same happy, smiling baby. She apparently had issues with her first bottle today (my fault, she hasn't taken one in 2 months), but did much better with her second one. She's trying to sit up from a reclining position, like when she's in her bouncy seat, and is almost sitting on her own (she can do it for a few seconds, but topples over ;). They both are still absolutely enthralled with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on Disney Channel. Jack also loves 'playing' the games on disney.com with one of us helping him! It's such a different time, computers didn't even really exist when I was his age!

Poor babies...

Eri's birthday/graduation toga party! Jack was still contagious, so he had to stay at home with Aunt Faith.

Even Annie had a toga ;)

Hanging under the pergola Seth built at Jackie's house.

Some recent photos

2011-08-11T21:53:00.000-04:00

Hand, Foot & Mouth Disease :/

2011-08-11T21:43:00.000-04:00

So Jack has HF&M, and it sucks. If nothing else, it's basically chicken pox that's concentrated on the hands, feet, mouth area (chin for Jack) and genitals. It's so sad to see him with all these blisters, but for the most part he's been a real trooper. The blisters bother him when he sees them, but they don't seem to itch and hopefully it won't last too long. He seems to have a pretty bad case though; if I didn't know better, I would think it was chicken pox.
And to up the ante a bit more, Annabelle has an ear infection and pink eye. So it's been a fun few days at our house! She also seems to have some kind of sinus infection but she's on antibiotics so hopefully that will clear up with the medicine. But eating for her hasn't been fun with the stuffy/runny nose and she was absolutely inconsolable with her ear before we started on the medicine. All I can say is - Poor Babies.

August

2011-08-09T12:08:00.000-04:00

I know this post is a bit late, but we've had a busy week I guess! Honestly, I don't even remember what all we did, but I know I haven't had very much free time ;)

Friday evening we had dinner with Keith, Ramona, Faith, Brandon and Samuel. Jack didn't want to eat a thing, he was much more interested in playing with all the boys' toys. Saturday we spent with Dad and Roberta; Annabelle is quite the swimmer! And Sunday we headed over the bridge to Grandma and Grandpa's house for a visit.

The bad news today is that both kids have Hand, Foot and Mouth disease. It's just a virus, but both have fevers and Annabelle is really, really miserable. She has a runny nose and I think she's teething on top of the virus. Jack has little blisters on his chin, his hands, his feet and his privates but they don't seem to bother him at all. They bother me to look at though! So we're just taking it easy and trying to get through the sickness as best we can.

School starts for me next Tuesday, so one more week to spend with the kids. Hoping we can do some fun things this week when they're feeling better!

Annie is rolling over like crazy this week. She's smiling tons and 'talking' a lot too. She's gotten good control of her hands now and can pick things up and take them in and out of her mouth. She still loves her bath, and that's been a good way to calm her down when she's fussing w/her teething.

Jack cracks us up every day; he is so funny in his own way. He wants to know about everything and then brings up the information later when we've figured he'd forgotten about it. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is still tops in his book, although he's taken a liking to the Babar movie today :) His favorite thing to do though is sit and read books. He can 'read' "No David" aloud and loves to do that!

Well, sick babies need me. Will post pics later :)

August 1st, 2011

2011-08-01T18:14:00.000-04:00

It's been a fun and crazy week! Last Monday, Annabelle, Jack and I drove up to Philadelphia to pick up Mimi so we could all spend a few days together at Avalon. The first night, Jack nor Annie slept much at all and I was questioning my sanity ;) But it got better after that!

We went to the beach one time; Jack wasn't into the beach this trip. We did spend quite a bit of time at the pool though. Both kids loved the water and were acting like "real" little swimmers. Jack enjoyed wearing an innertube and floating around by himself, while Annie didn't stop kicking and splashing in the water. Aunt Leah came down for a day and while she was there we went to the boardwalk at Ocean City, where Jack rode his first rides. We rode on the train once, and then Jack "drove" a vintage car around a track three times! We were riding with him, but he was definitely the one behind the wheel ;)

Then Jack, Annie and I took the ferry on the way home. Miss Annabelle only cried for about 20 minutes, making it probably her most successful trip to date! Nikki and her boys stopped for the night on their way home from Michigan. Wow, were Reading and Will big! Will loved holding Annabelle, while Reading and Jack played really well together. The hit of the visit was remote controlled cars; Will even gave his to Jack when they left. So we sent them a bit of a present in the mail ;) And not only did we have Nikki and the boys here, Uncle Brian decided to stay over for the night after some meetings in Baltimore.

Saturday was just as busy, with our company leaving and us attending our annual picnic with my girls up at Patapsco State Park in Baltimore County. Suffice it to say, yesterday we did absolutely nothing except hang out with the kids. Seth and I both even napped with them :)

Annabelle has been getting bigger every day, it seems. She started blowing bubbles and making raspberry/kissing noises. She gets an enormous smile whenever Jack is around, and tries to "get" him - kicking, grabbing and pulling his hair!

Jack is doing a magnificent job with potty training! He almost always goes to the potty now that we're sticking strictly to underwear. He likes to stand up on the potty to pee, and will stand on his head for an m&m reward ;) Today at school he wore the same pair of undies all day with no accidents! I am SO proud of him.

More next week! Be on the lookout for Annabelle's first tooth!

Jack and Annabelle - July 2011

2011-07-24T00:01:00.007-04:00

Well, it's hard to believe. But Jack is 28 months old and Annabelle is 4 months old! Of course, them having the same birthday makes calculations pretty easy ;)

Life is interesting to say the least. While I love being at home with both kids during the summer, it's at times overwhelming! Seth has been working so much on building a custom pergola for Jackie that we rarely get to see him aside from weeknights. But I'm sure it'll be worth it in the long run!

It's my new goal to update here every week or two weeks to talk about what the kids are up to. I feel like it won't seem so overwhelming once I get this post done ;)

So...

Annie:

She's rolling over both ways and really enjoying her playmat this week!
She loves to "talk" and is especially chatty when she has her fingers stuffed in her mouth;
She smiles All. The. Time.
She throws fits if she doesn't want to be in the car, and has been known to scream for 1/2 hour straight :/
She's just learned this week how to grab things and manipulate them how she wants them. For example, she can pull her binky out of her mouth and then stick it back in.
She's teething like crazy!
She is enjoying the rainforest playmat this week for the first time
She loves her little bee teether and can play with it for a long time and be happy!
She smiles a huge smile whenever she sees a familiar face, and when she looks in the mirror
Someone just told me she looks like a little Cabbage Patch doll, and I have to agree!
She really only wants mommy when she's upset :(

Jack:

Where can I even begin to talk about Jack???

He knows all his emotions an d is fond of saying "Mommy, I mad at u" or "I so happy"
He LOVES Annabelle and wants to interact with her all the time. Today he wanted to dance with her and sing with her. Whenever she cries, his response is "Anniebelle, it's okay" and he leans down to touch his face to hers :)
He's going through a very independent phase. Lots of "I got to...", "I need to..." and the like.
Jack's vocabulary is amazing, and his comprehension is even more so. There are times I forget I'm talking to a 2yr old. He'll say things like, "Mommy, why that guy sad? Is he have to get back up on the table?"
He knows all of his colors, shapes, alphabet and can now consistently count to 5. Before, we'd always miss 2 or 3 ;)
He loves to sing and dance! Even if he doesn't know the words to a song (or a tv show), he'll try to say them along with it and smiles the whole time.
We're working on potty training. Jack was doing really well with it, but now is fighting about going on the potty. Who knows, we'll figure out what to do eventually.
He's at school 3 days a week in the summer, and he really enjoys going!
Lucy passed away about a month ago, and he still asks for her and wants to give her a treat whenever he gets one for Max and Cam. But he is the first one to tell you that "Lucy went up to the sky to be with the angels."
He is still loving his cars and trains!
He's eating all kinds of stuff! PBJ is still a favorite (and a must for most meals) but he ate pork tenderloin and pasta w/veggies the other night. He's not afraid to try something new - he's tried zucchini and mushrooms this week - and while he didn't like either of them, he didn't make a big deal about it :)
He makes us smile and laugh on a regular basis!

So, that's the kids in a nutshell. I'll post some pictures to go along soon!

Annabelle Grace!

2011-03-19T08:53:00.009-04:00

Annabelle Grace Bigelow was born via vbac on Jack's second birthday, March 12, 2011. She weighed 6 pounds 15 ounces (one pound less than big brother) and was 19" long. She has a teeny little head (really, everything about her is teeny tiny) and looks so much like Jack it's amazing.

She's already a great sleeper. Last night she slept from 11:30-5:30! I had to wake her up to eat and now she's been back to sleep for the past almost 3 hours. She eats a ton too, and already weighs in at 7lbs 3oz at a week old. Both are so, so different from Jack!

Jack loves her, and thinks everything she does is hilarious. He's been a fantastic big brother so far...

Pictures - 2011

2011-03-06T20:32:00.004-05:00

Baby Girl

Diaper, matching hat & t-shirt applique I made.

Jack fell asleep while eating!

37 1/2 weeks pregnant

What Jack's up to lately :)

2010-11-07T09:40:00.003-05:00

It's hard to believe Jack is 19 months old, soon to be 20. I'm 21 weeks pregnant, and it seems like the pregnancy is flying by as well. I'm looking forward to Jack spending time with his little sister and the two of them growing up together, but we're also treasuring and savoring every single moment we have as a family of three.

I know I've said it before, but Jack continues to simply amaze me. I'm not familiar with tons of 19-month-olds, but to me he seems so smart and his language really seems to be advanced for his age. Right now, he's standing at the door yelling, "Dada, come!" because Seth went outside. He puts simple sentences together appropriately - things like "Jack read book", "No, my chair" or "More grapes please". Mostly though he's speaking in two-word phrases - "Shoes broke" when his shoe falls off, "Eat dog food" when the dogs are eating. The thing that probably impresses me most is his use of adjectives. He tells you when something is big, heavy, etc. He can also name about 1/2 of his letters (and gets so excited about it) and can count objects up to 4. He knows yellow, blue, white, red, green and pink.

Yesterday he baked chocolate chip cookies with Aunt Jackie, and this morning he helped me make blueberry muffins. He loves to draw ("Jack draw?"), 'read' his books aloud, sit in his armchair and watch Diego, run over for a kiss when he has a boo-boo, give big hugs and kisses (mostly to mom ;), he's still very into his trains and is kind of obsessed with school buses. Whenever we're riding in the car, he shrieks when he sees a bus and says "Oooooh, big yellow bus!"

So life is definitely not dull these days. On that note, I've gotta run and get the little munchkin dressed...

Halloween!

2010-10-31T20:17:00.006-04:00

Baby Girl Bigelow!

2010-10-22T21:09:00.004-04:00

Jack's trip to Green Meadow Farm

2010-10-22T20:03:00.009-04:00

We went to the farm on Sunday and Jack absolutely loved it, as you can tell from the pics below. He adores animals, and had absolutely no fear no matter how big or small those he encountered happened to be. He especially loved the turkeys - when he got into the pen he just chased them around like crazy with a huge smile on his face. Next time we go, I need to take a video camera with me. It was priceless.

Jack @ 17 Months A.N.D........

2010-08-12T15:43:00.004-04:00

announcing our newest family member, set to debut sometime in March! My due date is 3/19 but I will likely have to have a repeat c-section so that would put delivery sometime during the week following Jack's birthday (3/12). Yikes! We are very, very excited but also very overwhelmed by the idea of welcoming another little one. I'm sure we'll get used to it though :) I did get to see the baby on ultrasound yesterday, measuring right on time (8w4d) with a strong heartbeat. What a great sight to see!

Jack is as brilliant, hilarious and wonderful as ever. He adores his trains and train table, and loves pumping his little fist and saying "Choo choo!". His favorite foods right now are grapes, spaghetti and mandarin oranges. He'll pretty much eat most any fruit; veggies are the tough ones.

At the moment, his favorite dog is Max. He's always calling him ("Maaaah") and looking around for him. He loves giving the dogs hugs and doing "nice" by petting them gently. They are really so great with him, I just love seeing them together.

Jack has also started talking in real phrases. Whenever he can't find anything, it's "Doggie go?" or "Choo choo go?". He uses the word 'please' often and appropriately and I'm so proud. For example, his train track might fall apart so he'll bring me a piece of track and say "Mama, Mama. Help please". I'm so proud!

He also loves books and reading. He has a box of little Mickey Mouse books that he likes to carry around and he'll just sit down and flip through them making up words and sounds like he's reading!

I'm trying to think of more of his antics, but my thoughts are escaping me right now. I just spent 4 long days at a school conference focusing on differentiation, and while it was valuable and fairly entertaining, it was work and I. AM. TIRED.

Jack lately

2010-07-25T11:43:00.003-04:00

All of a sudden it seems Jack is really growing up. He has taken to repeating much of what he hears (be careful mom and dad!) and uses his pretty large vocabulary appropriately. He loves to point out facial features and body parts on both people and the dogs. He's running after Cammie right now saying "nose, nose" and trying to touch her nose; he's just cracking himself up doing it ;)

We had lunch with a friend recently who told us she is expecting. It's probably not the most opportune timing for them, and totally not a planned pregnancy, so I didn't say anything for a moment after she told me. Leave it to Jack though...after a moment of silence he chimed in with his take on the whole thing - "Ohhhhh noooooo". We laughed so hard; I know he didn't understand what was going on but his timing and choice of words was impeccable!

July photos of Jack

2010-07-17T19:47:00.010-04:00

I've wanted to share pictures of Jack for a while now, I just despise the old-fashioned, timely way Blogger makes you do it. I would think they'd update so you could choose multiple photos at a time and not have to format every one, but hey, that's just me.

Anyway...here are a bunch to give you an idea of what he's been up to lately and how big he's getting! Most recent pics are at the bottom.

Jack @ 16 Months

2010-07-14T10:52:00.003-04:00

Well, what can I say? I have the most amazing, intelligent, funny, goofy, talented little boy in the history of the world!

Seth and I were trying to go through and make a list of all the words he says, but at this point he pretty much repeats anything you say to him. My favorites this week are blueberry (boobewwy), Cam Cam (for Campbell), Oocy (Lucy), Max, More milk (mowe meelk), shoes (shuzz), fish (fssh), and car (caaawwr).

We just got back from a long weekend in Philly and Avalon, it was a really hectic trip but nice to see Mom, Leah, Don and Mark. I will post pics when I get them loaded onto the computer. Jack hadn't liked the ocean when we were in OC a couple weeks ago (he adored playing in the sand), but was okay with the water and loved the seashells at Avalon. I think the difference was the huge size of the beach and the calm sea at Avalon. More like an SC beach than a northern one in my opinion. Just gorgeous.

Jack is still loving his pushcar. He lives for Dora and Diego. I made him some zucchini patties last week and he devoured them, which made me happy; I usually have to hide his veggies to get him to eat them. He loves greeting the dogs in the morning, and wants to play all day long soon after. He makes funny faces at us to get us to laugh. Right now he's like a little monkey, clinging to my legs or neck at all times of day or night.

Honestly, I don't know what else to say, we are just the luckiest people in the world to be able to share his life each day.

Who me?

2010-07-09T10:57:00.000-04:00

A new leaf

2010-06-28T10:54:00.002-04:00

I've been wanting to change the look of the blog for a while, so I took a few moments to do that this morning. While I was working on it, Jack decided his job would be to bring me all of our coasters from the living room, one by one. I guess I shouldn't wonder why the kid doesn't gain much weight!

I know I've said it before, but he really is the neatest little kid. He's into giving hugs and kisses right now and makes sure I get several each day. Of course, this is because he is currently having major separation anxiety issues w/me. He does not want to go to anyone else, and will even cry if I leave him in bed w/Seth in the morning to get dressed 5 feet away. On one hand, I do love that he wants to be with me so much. On the other hand, it really doesn't allow me much of a break; even if I do give/leave him w/someone else I feel guilty as he's screaming "Mama".

What else is he doing? He loves saying "Oh no" when something doesn't go his way. He also says it and waves bye-bye when Dora is over and the credits are rolling. Too funny. He loves his lawnmower and shopping cart, and can say "lawnmower". He claps when he does something he's proud of. He adores the dogs and calls them in the morning. He loves his car that we push him around in - he 'drives' and beeps the horn and would probably be content doing that all day. We went to Storyville on Friday and he was obsessed w/the toy magnetic trains. Just kept pushing them around saying "Choo choo". Ummm...he says "shoes" and gets them and sits down when you tell him to put them on. He also is shaking his head "no" (too funny) when he means no and says "ok" to agree with you. He is a really, really verbal child and he cracks me up.

Jack has a crazy sense of humor. He gets a twinkle in his eye and likes to play tricks on you, like hiding somewhere and then running out, or pretending he has something in his mouth and then sticking his tongue out. He's even taken to laughing out loud at antics like this! Just cracking himself up too I guess :)

He is down to the 5th %ile for weight at his 15-month appointment. We think he's just a super skinny boy, but will be on the lookout for a few different things heading into our 18-month appt. Pretty much we'd be watching for his height to drop, or his weight to fall again. They would have to do testing again at that point, which I really want to avoid. So we're giving him some pediatric ensure once a day now to try and see if that helps. What didn't help was a few days of vomiting last week, but he's doing great now!

We have lots going on, and it's great to be home for the (short) summer to spend this time with Jack. I will update pictures later this week :)

Jack Donovan's first steps...take two

2010-06-04T19:22:00.000-04:00

Jack Donovan's First Steps

2010-06-04T19:17:00.000-04:00

May 2010 - Jack @ 14 Months

2010-05-31T13:19:00.015-04:00

Jack @ 14 Months

2010-05-17T19:36:00.002-04:00

Jack at 14 months is my favorite Jack so far. He is so full of personality and there are so many times during the day that I have to pinch myself that I got such a smart, neat little boy! My personal favorite time of the day is when he first wakes up in the morning - we spend a 1/2 hour or so just snuggling and playing in bed.

What he's doing now...

He's standing on his own. He wobbles a bit, but he definitely (finally!) has it down.
He's saying so much...memmy, daddy, doggie, more (this is constant when food is around!), milk, ball, TV, bubble. He tries to say a lot more like baseball and touchdown, but he doesn't have it quite yet!
He can pick out things that are red.
He loves putting things together and taking them apart. He also can spend hours putting things into a container, taking them out, repeat, etc. etc.
He's an old pro at his stackers now.
He loves Dora the Explorer, and will cuddle up with you to watch an episode.
He uses his imagination - he'll pretend to pick something up and then pretend to give it to you...all the while smiling this huge grin. He totally knows that he's being funny.
He pushes his toy lawnmower in laps around the living room and kitchen. He's also been known to push anything he can get his hands on around the room, be it a stool, toy, whatever.
He loves to ride around on his toy lion.
He spends a lot of time outside playing in his splash table and in his pool. He just loves the water!
He does sign language for please, more and Jack. He also claps his hands when you sing "When you're happy and you know it..."

I know there's so much more, but it's all I can think of right now. Pictures to follow soon!

Jack and his teeth...

2010-05-17T19:29:00.005-04:00

I tried, but it didn't last long. So....you may be curious as to what was up with Jack last time he was sick. Long story short, he had a bad ear infection (again!) and a virus that lasted almost a week before ending with a lovely rash all over his poor little body.

But of course, that wouldn't be exciting enough on its own. When we saw Dr. Hackett, I asked her to look at his top front teeth since they seemed to have craters dug out of the front and those areas were looking kinda yellowish. She immediately sent us to a pediatric dentist, and it turns out that (in these spots) all of the enamel has worn off of his teeth so that the inner tooth is exposed. Since that is reallly succeptible to decay, we now have a lot more daily upkeep with his mouth. Basically, he can only have milk at meals, no juice, and water any time during the day. If he has a snack, he can't linger over it for a long time as the longer the food sits on his teeth, the greater the chance of decay. Kinda crazy. Then after every meal, snack or drink other than water, we either need to wipe his teeth with a wet washcloth or brush them. That doesn't include the fluoride gel that we have to "burnish" onto his teeth every night before bed - it's a screaming, crying, flailing battle that makes me want to cry just thinking about it. But Jack has gotten a little bit better with it every night, and hopefully it won't be long before he accepts it as part of his routine :)

So it wasn't teething

2010-04-10T20:44:00.002-04:00

We had Jack in the ER this morning after he ran a 104.3 fever during the night and, again, vomited his entire bottle all over our bed. We tried to get in with his regular doctor but because of a death in their family, their office was closed today. We tried to go to Nighttime Pediatrics, but apparently they don't open until 11am, even on Saturdays. So, at 8:30 this morning we found ourselves in the ER.
Long story short...he has what looks to be a throat/ear infection. I was surprised to hear that, since he hasn't pulled or touched his ear much and doesn't seem to have a problem eating things that might bother you if your throat was sore.
I'm sure he's fine and will pull through this fantastically. My only real concern is that three weeks ago, he had an "unexplained" fever (102.5) and blood in his urine (only one night). He was tested twice for a UTI but didn't have one. This morning, he had very swollen lymph nodes in his groin area (this also surprised the doctor at the hospital - he had none anywhere else on his body). That, along with the random vomiting that they weren't able to explain, has me a bit on the worried side. But I'm sure that's just me being a new mom and being overly concerned about every little thing.
So, right now he's sleeping kind of peacefully and is on anti-nausea/vomiting meds that have helped him tons today being able to keep fluids down (we also have an antibiotic, but because of how high his fever was they think it's viral so we're going to try to hold off until tomorrow to give him those). He was pretty dehydrated but they didn't go so far as to put an IV in, thank goodness. He hasn't had many wet diapers today, but he did drink maybe a full cup of pedialyte over the course of several hours this afternoon so I'm over-the-moon excited about that.
Who woulda thunk it would take such a simple thing to make me happy??

Teething

2010-04-09T10:15:00.003-04:00

I'm home today with Jack, who is teething terribly and is basically a whiny, fussy, clingy, feverish version of his usual sweet and social self. We did not sleep much last night and even had the pleasure of cleaning up vomit twice. Nothing like the smell of sour milk permeating your bedroom in the morning!
I had to go into school at 6:30 this morning to get things ready for a sub, so I'm hoping that he takes a good nap sometime soon. I need one too!
Here is Jack's contribution:
., vfrbg VB CB GGGGGGGV BVCVC' ' BNNN zzz M NNNNNNNNNNN

Cloth Diapering and Teaching...

2010-04-08T21:13:00.002-04:00

I never thought I'd sit in an IEP (special ed) meeting and end up talking about cloth diapering. And yet that's the situation I found myself in yesterday. Kind of weird to be talking about a student and their needs and suddenly transition to how I'm diapering my baby!
Long story short, the mom was talking about things she intended to do with her kids before they were born that kind of went out the window. I was lying low until a coworker brought up CDs and all that we've been doing with them. It was very slightly awkward, but I was also so proud to share what we have been/are doing.
I know that even on those days when I question it - when I would so much rather just throw a diaper in the trash - that I'm doing the right thing for us. It might not always be the easiest route, but we're getting there...

Opening Day

2010-04-06T18:01:00.002-04:00

Well, technically it really isn't opening day, but I hardly count a Sunday night game two days before any other teams can play the true season opener. Regardless, it's a beautiful day to play ball, and there's just something about springtime that just sings America, apple pie and baseball :)

By the way, this is my attempt to write more frequently, and prove to people that I still have (a bit of) a life outside of being a mom and a teacher!

Jack's Latest

2010-04-05T13:10:00.007-04:00

Here are pictures of Jack over the last month or so. He is getting to be so smart and funny, and we're at the point where it's really fun to spend time together. He has such a neat personality - most of the time he is really laid back and smiley, although he has started testing his boundaries lately and throwing little fits. I just laugh at him and eventually he gets over it ;)
Some of the things he's doing right now:

Still not walking, but getting more confident and starting to let go and fall down. We're getting there!
Clapping at appropriate times, or when he hears "Hooray!"
Slapping his hands up over his face when you say, "Oh no!"
Giving high fives
Sticking his tongue out when asked - this is way too funny and I need to get a picture of it.
Eating by himself - he's very fond of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches right now and doesn't want any help with them. He is also using his spoon to eat yogurt and is practicing with his fork.
Saying "Mama" ALL the time, almost obsessively :)
"Talking" on the phone when he holds it up to his ear
"Reading" books - he flips through the pages and makes little sing-song noises like he's reading aloud. It seems that reading to him every day since he was born is already paying off!
Blowing kisses

Jack's Birthday...This is the Photobomb Post...You've Been Warned!

2010-04-05T12:58:00.005-04:00

Jack's Birthday...Take Three!

2010-04-05T12:51:00.003-04:00

Our weekend was chock-full of birthday parties. We had cousin Athan's on Saturday, as well as BFF Jacob's party. Sunday was Nathan's party in the morning (at Rollie Pollie!) and Jack's was that afternoon. Here are a few pictures from the "other" parties that weekend.

Jack's Birthday...Take Two

2010-04-05T12:36:00.006-04:00

I guess I should start at the beginning. My sweet baby, the light of my life, this little bundle of joy...has suddenly turned into a little boy. I don't know when or how it happened, but there he is standing in front of me today with the distinct look of a toddler. Add to that his sense of humor and knack for timing, and my mind is simply blown.

We celebrated on Jack's actual birthday by spending the day together as a family. We went to Toys R Us and picked out a Mickey Mouse kitchen for him. He absolutely loves it!

I had made cupcakes to take to his little party at daycare, but several kids got sick that day so we ended up not having the party. So, Jack went to town that night on his own cupcake. He really enjoyed it, and I think he loved being so messy :)

1st birthday...hmmmm....

2010-03-31T19:20:00.001-04:00

So, yes, Jack's first birthday was two weeks ago. We have been having a wonderful time, and I'm excited to post more info and pictures about the big day, and all he's been up to since. I am on Spring Break this week, so will put aside a few minutes to do so. Right now, Jack's in the bath with Seth on duty...and duty calls!

11 Month Pics

2010-03-04T22:03:00.005-05:00

So I'm a bad mommy...

2010-03-04T21:44:00.002-05:00

Here we are, eight days short of Jack's first birthday, and I'm posting for the first time in two months. I would say that I'm a bad mommy, but it only means I'm spending every precious moment with my precious little boy :)

I can't even begin to put into words what an amazing child Jack is, has been, and is turning into. We are constantly sent into giggles over the things that he does; watching him figure things out is such a joy. A few days ago he decided to do "High Five"...when I took my hand away, he put his own hand up and slapped it with the other hand. It doesn't come across well on paper, but seeing him make that connection and laugh about it was priceless.

Then tonight in the bath he held up the washcloth, put it behind his back and smiled. I asked him where the towel was, he giggled, and then reached back and pulled it out. Too cute!

We are so thrilled with our daycare situation. Jack absolutely loves "Miss Shey" and all the kids at daycare...and apparently he's Mr. Popular with them :) They do a whole preschool program with shapes, colors, etc. and do crafts as well. Right now, we have Jack's first fingerpaints on the fridge - a red heart from Valentine's Day and another fingerpainting page. He is absolutely thriving! What a blessing that a bad situation turned into something that has allowed him to thrive!

A not-so-good note is that Jack "ate" my camera. Well, actually, he just slobbered on it (and into it) enough so that it is now obsolete. Any pictures I've taken in the last month have been on my cell phone, so the quality is just not there. Regardless, I'll post them later.

We're having Jack's first birthday party at Jackie's house next Sunday. Even though there is much, much to do before then, I can't wait. I can't believe my little boy is turning a year old! I have been working on a slideshow of his first year - it's something wonderful to celebrate, but a bit bittersweet looking back at how far we've come in such a short time. Seth and I have had so much fun putting it together - choosing pictures and music - and I can't wait to see the finished project. :)

Jack is Ten Months Old!

2010-01-23T18:12:00.005-05:00

It's so hard to believe that my sweet baby will be a year old in less than two months. He is turning into such a neat little kid. Right now, he's sitting in his high chair next to me eating fruit cocktail and watching "Yo Gabba Gabba" (see pictures!). This is by far my favorite age so far!

Jack is...

Saying "mmmmooo" when you ask him what the cow says;
Saying "vroooom" when he pushes around his trucks and tractors;
Saying "Bye Bye" whenever anyone picks up keys or puts on a coat;
Saying "MamaDada" or "Dadamama" when he wakes up in the morning and wants out of his crib;
Saying "Hi" when you first see him;
Saying "ball" whenever he sees something round;
Saying "baaaaa" for his bottle;
Using his 5 teeth (2 top, 3 bottom) to eat just about everything! He especially loves scrambled eggs with ketchup, tofu with spaghetti sauce, yogurt, mandarin oranges and roasted veggies (eggplant, squash, zucchini). He's also been eating a lot of chicken soup with veggies and loves that too.
Raising his hands up in the air when you say "Touchdown" (finally!)

Lately...

He's spent some time at school with me on early dismissal days, and loves running up and down the hallways (screeching!) in his walker;
He's excited (well, I am) about starting at a new daycare next week. His nanny up and quit on us and I couldn't be happier that he's now going to be with a couple of other kids his age in a pre-school-like atmosphere. The woman who runs it is one of my students' moms and she's great.
He played a trick on us while eating dinner. He hid a puff in his hand until 1/2 way through the meal, when he shoved it in his mouth and laughed with this mischevious expression on his face. It was so funny to see him thinking it through and being proud of himself for tricking us!
He's taking about a 1 1/2 hour nap around lunchtime. He loves sleeping in his carseat for his nap!
He loves going to Eri's Broadneck basketball games. He watches and keeps saying "ball" and really loves the cheerleaders and baton twirlers. :)
He adores having his ears cleaned! When you put the Q-tip in his ear he gets this silly grin on his face and closes his eyes. I have got to get this on video!

For anyone who's interested...Jack's first birthday party will be Saturday, March 13th, the day after his actual birthday. Save the date!

That's all I can think of at the moment...I know there's lots more! I will post more pictures, and also links to Jack's YouTube videos later this weekend...

2009-12-30T20:58:00.009-05:00

Jack - Christmas/9 Month Update

2009-12-30T20:41:00.002-05:00

Well, here we are about to start the new year, and so much has been going on in our lives! Jack is such an absolute joy to be around these days, and we are enjoying the Christmas break and the chance that we have to be with him full-time. Not that there aren't moments when we are going nuts and could use some kind of break, but he is just so much fun and so interesting to be around right now! Here's what he's up to:

He just started pointing at things yesterday - things he wants (like juice when he's eating), and things that he's curious about (the new dog bowl);
He is standing and 'cruising' around - he pulls himself up onto a piece of furniture and walks his way to the other end to get where he wants to go. He also is loving his new toy from Aunt Jackie - a lion that he can stand behind and push. I can't believe how well he does walking behind it!
He is waving and saying "bye-bye" when someone is leaving. He also says dada and mama.
He still thinks the dogs are hilarious, and loves nothing more than to chase them in his walker.
He gives kisses like crazy, and then gives this cute look like, "I know that made you happy!";
He loves chasing and being chased around our kitchen island;
Mickey Mouse is by far his favorite - when Mickey Mouse Clubhouse comes on in the mornings, he gets an enormous smile on his face and waves his hands!
He is eating lots of solid foods now. This week he's tried grilled cheese and pasta bites. He also loves french toast and pancakes. Look out world!
Teeth are continuing to come in. He has his two bottom teeth in all their glory, and the two top teeth broke through in the past couple of days. He's now working on his bottom incisors. Fun, fun, fun. Tylenol is a way of life these days!
He loves to snuggle in bed for 1/2 hour or so in the mornings. He moves back and forth between the two of us, putting his head down to watch Mickey in a variety of odd positions :)

Christmas was great. We did Pocci's house for Christmas Eve, as usual (the 7 fishes). Lots of family there, and Jack had a wonderful time celebrating with all of his girl cousins. I honestly didn't see him for much of the night! And mom, Brian and Leah showed up late and then spent Christmas morning with us. Unfortunately, Jack was sick with a chest cold, and so didn't get too into his presents. But he perked up by the time they left early afternoon, and had a great time at Grandma and Grandpa B's house for Christmas dinner. He especially liked the boombox that Grandpa B. picked out for him. He may still be musically inclined!

All in all, I am totally in love and infatuated with my nine-month-old little boy. He is the most wonderful little creature ~ so smart, so kind, and so spirited. I can't wait to see what the next year holds...

Waiting...

2009-12-18T20:54:00.003-05:00

So, we're waiting for the "BIG" snow to arrive. We had to cancel our weekend plans to travel up to Lititz, PA with Seth's family in case all h*&$ breaks loose here. I will definitely take the opportunity this weekend to post Jack's Christmas pictures, as well as lots of cute other photos and updates about what he's doing. His latest though is saying "ba ba" as he waves goodbye :) And also he's started chasing the dogs to play with them in his walker. He thinks it's hilarious - they aren't too amused ;)

November 2009

2009-12-03T18:40:00.006-05:00

The "Jackpack"

Jack's First Thanksgiving

2009-12-03T18:27:00.008-05:00

We were all very, very thankful for the most wonderful little boy to EVER walk the face of the Earth this year! Jack spent most of the day waving (his favorite pasttime), and had his first turkey dinner. Yum!

Family Pictures...

2009-11-15T09:41:00.002-05:00

Lots of random pics

2009-11-15T09:06:00.013-05:00

Trip to Connecticut

2009-11-15T09:03:00.003-05:00

Halloween

2009-11-15T08:58:00.003-05:00

Great Wolf Lodge

2009-11-15T08:52:00.001-05:00

Jack at 8 Months!

2009-11-15T08:39:00.003-05:00

Poor little guy has been sick the past few days with a runny nose and a yucky cough. We saw Dr. Ginsburg Friday afternoon, and she felt like it was just a cold, so we're letting it run its course. Just being cautious with all of the flu/pneumonia problems out there...

We have been so busy lately! I feel like I can never get caught up with home and school, and to top it off I've been sick the past few days too. Luckily, Seth, Dad and Roberta really helped out yesterday and allowed me to get some much-needed rest.

Last weekend, we went to Williamsburg to meet Barrie, Mike and Ally at Great Wolf Lodge. What a blast! I would highly recommend a trip if there's one near you. I can't wait to go back :)

For those of you who have sent Jack gifts and never received thank you cards, THANK YOU! I think about them all the time, and am hoping to have time to sit down over Thanksgiving and put my thoughts on paper. Know that everything is appreciated, and please forgive my lack of manners. It really is much harder than it looks :)

So, what is Jack doing these days?

SLEEPING!!! He is finally sleeping through the night. He does wake up around 3:30, but usually falls back asleep by himself after playing for a little while.
Picking up small pieces of food and putting them into his mouth (really funny to watch!)
Waving, giving "High Five"
Running around in his walker, and able to maneuver himself around corners (again, good for a laugh)
Crawling really fast
Climbing up any and all stairs
Holding and playing with toys in both hands
Carrying toys with him as he crawls around. He loves to climb up the two stairs in our living room holding his Orioles bat.

We are stuck between sizes again. Six month clothes can be a bit small, but nine month are too big. He still fits into size 2 diapers (barely), but the size 3 are way too big! They did weigh him at the doctor's on Friday, and he weighed 17 pounds, fully clothed. From the growth chart that I snagged, that would put him in the 15th-20th percentile for weight. No wonder things don't fit!

Jack @ 7 Months :)

2009-10-18T12:10:00.002-04:00

Again, it's been a long time. But we've had no internet for a few weeks, and I am unable to access the blog at school, so here I sit at Roberta's computer for a quick update before heading back home to catch the Steelers game at 1:00. Pictures will be posted as soon as we have internet again, hopefully sometime this week!

We are newly recovered from the Swine Flu. Jack came down with it - and a 102 degree fever - last Sunday, had it confirmed at the doctor's office on Monday and started on Tamiflu that day. He was feeling better by Tuesday afternoon, although he wasn't fully himself again until Friday. That's when Seth came down with it. I've been fine so far, and Seth is okay today, so keep your fingers crossed that we're done with it!

So what's Jack been up to, you ask?
* He's progressed from "creeping" to full-fledged "crawling" with his belly up off the floor.
* The only place he wants to crawl to now is the two steps between our living and dining rooms. He's managed to climb up them twice already!
* He started waving 'bye bye' this weekend.
* He's 'talking' up a storm all the time - he says "Dada" and says "Mumma" when he's upset!
* He thinks the dogs are hilarious - always laughing out loud at them. He pets them so nicely too.
* He loves the remote controls, so we've found an old one and given it to him for his very own :)
* He was to the point where he was only waking up once a night, but since being sick he's been waking up 5-6 times/night and won't fall back asleep in his crib. He's fine until you go to lay him back down in his crib, when he starts screaming. Geesh.
* He loves to play in the dog's water bowl, loves his bath, and any other kind of water he can find. He's definitely going to be a swimmer...

More soon...

Jack at 6 Months

2009-09-18T18:26:00.004-04:00

My Angel is Already Six Months Old...

2009-09-18T18:05:00.002-04:00

Can you believe that Jack is already a half-year old? On one hand, it seems as though he's been here and a part of our lives forever while on the other hand, he is turning into such an independent little boy and I feel like he was just a snuggly little newborn a few days ago. I expect this is 'normal' and something we will continue to experience throughout his life, and yet it still rings bittersweet to me.

Life has really changed a lot lately. I am back to school, and have been for about a month now. Jack is with his nanny, Ana, during the day and loves being with her which is such a blessing for Seth and I. To not have to worry about him at all during the day is an amazing feeling, especially since I have a class that is really keeping me on my toes this year. Let's just say I will prove to be one of the world's best teachers if I make it through the year, but that's an entirely different story best left for another day. :)

So, back to Jack! He is babbling all the time now. This morning he woke up and was just playing and talking in his crib as we listened to him on the monitor. He's been doing a lot of "mmmmm"s lately, but also can just throw out a stream of random sounds and syllables. Too funny.

Jack is also able to pull himself around wherever he wants to go. We figured this out one day a couple of weeks ago when there was a remote on the other side of the bed and he pulled, pushed and rolled his way to it. Typical male, right?!? But it seems like he'll be crawling anytime now as he's really got the scooting thing down and just needs to put a few things together to get it all working. And, oh, will we have our hands full then...

What else? He absolutely adores his jumperoo, and can stay in there perfectly content for a 1/2 hour or so now. He also has a little plastic set of keys that he likes and a electronic piano-type toy that he is thrilled to bang on!

Oh, and he's now eating formula and solid food! He doesn't really care for cereal, so we're having to mix it in with his food to get him to eat it as it seems he needs it for iron and zinc. Some foods he's really liked are applesauce, pears, bananas, prunes, watermelon, and plums. He's not wild about the veggies like peas and sweet potatoes, but will eat them if you trick him :) We're trying to do organic, and have been able to feed him pears and watermelon straight from Pocci's garden. I've also made apples, bananas, plums and sweet potatoes. I'm freezing them in ice cube trays and then putting them in baggies to keep frozen. It's actually pretty simple as long as I can find the time and energy to do it!

The other great thing about it is that I'm now only breastfeeding him at night as of this week since he seems to prefer formula in his bottle. What a huge weight off my shoulders - I was spending any free time I had during the day pumping and it had me totally exhausted, behind and ill-prepared for school at times. Whoo-hoo!

Jack's six-month stats:
Weight ~ 15 lbs 4 oz (20th percentile)
Height ~ 26 1/2 inches (50th percentile)
Head ~ 45 cm (92nd percentile) - that's because he's so smart :)

I will do my best to keep up with posting from now on. Wish us luck!

Mr. and Mrs. Joel Thorne!

2009-08-02T15:43:00.010-04:00

Almost 10 years later, Joel and Ellie got married yesterday at Jackie's house, on the lawn overlooking the bay on a beautiful afternoon. Jack was the ring bearer, and really stole the show in his wagon :) Here are some pictures from the weekend...

Why I can't blog more...

2009-07-30T08:30:00.002-04:00

July Pics...

2009-07-30T08:19:00.015-04:00

Our one attempt at cereal - it didn't go too well, although Jack really enjoyed himself. We are holding off on starting him on solids for another few weeks, then I have grand illusions of making him organic babyfood...

Jack and Lucy

"And they all rolled over and one fell out..."

Stop taking my picture!

At Grandma's house...

6 pictures and either I looked good or Daddy did!

First "taste" of tomato from the garden with Pocci

Roly Poly

Check out the mohawk...

Not the best pic of me, but I hardly have any since I'm the one always taking the pictures!

Testing out A.J.'s new table

Is this fun or what?!?!

Four generations

At Mimi's house...

Loving on Rocky...

At the Italian Market with Aunt Leah

I think there's an almost identical picture of me as a baby...

NOT happy.

Watching my fave, Sesame Street!

And that's the reason I was able to post yesterday...

Lots going on this month, including a visit from Grandmama and Uncle Marty. Now Joel and Ellie's wedding is coming up this weekend, and Aunt Faith is coming back from London, so I'm sure we'll have lots more pictures to share after that.

Some pictures from earlier this summer...

2009-07-29T19:37:00.007-04:00

2009-07-29T19:34:00.002-04:00

It’s been so long, and it’s amazing how quickly time is flying by! Jack has become so alert and active that it’s hard to find a moment to sit down and write about all he’s up to (and of course, when I do have a moment, I’m so happy to just sit and do nothing at all!).

Jack will be 20 weeks old tomorrow, which is so hard for me to believe. On one hand, it seems like he was just a newborn while on the other hand, it feels like he’s been here forever and it’s hard to imagine our lives without him.

Right now, Jack and daddy are taking a nap together on the couch, so I’ll take the opportunity to give you all a quick update on all he’s been up to!

And now…

The Top Ten Things You Might Not Know About JACK DONOVAN

10. Jack started rolling over at 15 weeks, and has become quite the pro. He first rolled from his stomach onto his back (I think it was because he hated being on his tummy), and then a few days later rolled from his back onto his tummy. These days, he loves to roll from his back onto his tummy and then play with his toys!

9. Jack is discovering new things about his body every day, and it’s so cute to watch! He loves to play with his feet, eat his toes, scratch his head, suck on his fingers and thumb, and has just recently figured out that he’s a boy – I like to call him our own little Al Bundy…

8. Jack is “talking” all the time now, which at any given moment could consist of screeching, grunting, cooing, ahhh-ing, and other indescribable noises! He has these hilarious conversations with himself, other people, toys, mirrors, baby dolls and the dogs.

7. Speaking of the dogs, Jack has really noticed them the past week or so, and loves to pet them and grab onto their fur – they are being so good with him, but we’re careful all the time anyway. Yesterday, Cammie was sniffing him and tickled around his ribs, which had him laughing…

6. So yes, Jack has started to laugh! He’s such a serious little guy all the time, and would just smile and laugh silently for the longest time. Just this week he’s started giggling when you tickle him or play with him. What fun!

5. It’s so great to see Jack recognize people and respond to them. Every night when Seth gets home, he just smiles and smiles and smiles at him. He’s done this for lots of others also, and was really cute doing it in Philly this past weekend.

4. Jack is really into his jumperoo (he dances with crazy legs!), his Sophie giraffe, riding in his Baby Bjorn, and playing with toys on his play mat. He has a really short attention span still, and gets soooooo frustrated when he can’t shove something into his mouth the way he wants to.

3. As long as we’re talking about putting things into his mouth, I guess I should mention that Jack is teething. What a miserable thing to go through! Everything has to go into his mouth, and he loves to chomp down hard on our fingers. He’s been really fussy lately as well, and we’ve been trying to help him out with a combination of baby Tylenol, homeopathic teething tablets, and the teething toys like Sophie and his binky. I also have Orajel, but I really don’t want to use that unless necessary since I read some stuff about it potentially numbing their throat and giving them breathing problems. You know me – always worrying about something…

2. Jack had his four-month check-up on Wednesday, July 15th, and we’re really pleased with how he’s growing now! His stats:
* Height: 25 ½ inches - 25th percentile
* Weight: 12 lbs 12oz - 25th percentile (Last Thursday at the breastfeeding support group he weighed slightly over 13 pounds!
* Head: 43 cm - 75th percentile!

He also got the next round of shots, and only cried for a few seconds afterwards – what a good boy J He did have a fever of 101.4 the day after, but it went away by that night.

1. Jack STILL does not sleep! He did go into his own room and his own big boy crib about a month ago, and at first it helped but now he’s still waking up anywhere between 2-5 times each night, and it’s the reason I’m sitting here with an aching body and a confused mind…

Yes, we're alive...

2009-07-16T22:17:00.001-04:00

Promise to post more in the next couple of days. It's amazing how time flies by with an active (read: wild) four month old!

Jack playing at home

2009-06-23T09:29:00.004-04:00

Jack's Trip to Philly

2009-06-23T09:19:00.002-04:00

Playing with Sophie the giraffe at Mimi's house

At the farmer's market with Mimi, Aunt Leah, Mark and Katherine

Hangin' around with Aunt Leah and Kat

Enjoying the walk through Society Hill

Chillin' with Aunt Leah

One more thing...

2009-06-21T09:57:00.001-04:00

I forgot to say that he is totally into grabbing everything he can get his little mitts on! I will post some pictures tomorrow of him holding and eating his new giraffe, Sophie :)

Jack at 3 Months

2009-06-20T09:59:00.002-04:00

So Jack is now 3 months old, and boy is he growing up! He is getting to be so much fun, especially when he wakes up in the morning and talks to us :) Here's a quick summary of what the little man is up to...

He is truly his father's son - this child LOVES to talk. He'll talk to you, to the fan, to the dogs, basically to anything around. Sound familiar???
He will make kissing sounds, clicking sounds or raspberries at you when you do them to him. What a smart boy!
He laughs and smiles all the time, but boy can he get mad! He seems to enjoy looking right in your face and just screaming right at you. Geesh!
For some reason, he really only wants to be with me the past few days. He pretty much screams whenever anyone else holds him. Now, don't get me wrong. This is wonderful and I'm so glad that he wants to snuggle with me all the time. BUT. It would be nice to get a break and have someone else hold him for more than a minute. I think my back is just about ready to give out!
Bedtime is 7ish and he usually wakes up around midnight and 3am to eat. Hopefully as he puts on more weight he will start sleeping through the night. I've heard that 12 pounds is a good indicator, and he's about 11 now.
We took our first road trip to Philadelphia this past week to visit Mimi and Aunt Leah. We had a wonderful time - on the trip up, he just played the whole time and on the way home he slept all the way to Glen Burnie (where he then proceeded to poop all over himself - it was literally up to his neck. Gross!)
His spitting up seems to have gotten better. We generally only go through 2 outfits a day now, and not nearly as much is coming up when he eats. Yay!
Speaking of eating, he really does seem to be getting chubbier. Hopefully that will continue. He's now consistently on the 25th %-ile for both height and weight for the past month, so we think he just was born big and has now settled into his actual size. We're okay with him just being a little peanut :)
He's rolled onto his side from both his back and stomach, but can't quite figure out how to get his arm out of the way and roll all the way over. That's okay though, for as alert and active as he is already, I shudder to think of the day when he's mobile!

We have gotten some beautiful and thoughtful baby gifts, and I've been terrible finding time to write thank you notes. So, if you sent a gift and I haven't acknowledged it, I apologize and promise that it's not because we're not appreciative!

Jack at 11 Weeks (I have the most beautiful baby...)

2009-05-31T15:18:00.002-04:00

Jack at 11 Weeks (again...)

2009-05-31T15:13:00.002-04:00

Jack at 11 Weeks (can you stand it???)

2009-05-31T15:09:00.002-04:00

Jack at 11 Weeks

2009-05-31T15:05:00.003-04:00

With Aunt Jackie and cousin Alessandra

Jack at 10 Weeks

2009-05-31T14:58:00.003-04:00

Jack getting ready for his first dip in the baby pool!

Happy Memorial Day!

With mommy and cousins Maiya and Sydney.

Every day is a long day...

Jack at 9 Weeks

2009-05-31T14:54:00.002-04:00

A long, long time...

2009-05-31T14:27:00.003-04:00

Well, lots has happened since we last visited with young Jack. Mommy went back to work (much more on that at a later date!), Jack has put on a bit of weight and is now up to 10lbs 9oz, and we now have thrush again - for the third time. Ugh.

Re: Work.
The first few days were awful - I cried my eyes out and was a miserable wreck. Now, we've adjusted pretty well to our schedule, and the only thing that's really difficult is the utter exhaustion at the end of the day! Teaching always has been a challenging and exhausting job unto itself, much less when you're not getting lots of sleep and at a baby's beck and call at all hours. It's really more than I ever imagined, and don't know how people do it. But I guess they do it every day, and we only have two more weeks to go until school is out for the summer.

Re: Weight.
After having bloodwork and finding out that Jack possibly has low levels of growth hormone, we went back into see Dr. Ginsburg on Friday. Turns out he'd gained 10oz in 15 days, which she was happy with - it's about 3/4oz a day, and they like to see a gain of 1/2 to 1 oz per day. Good job Jack!!!

Re: Thrush.
Take Three.
Honestly, I don't know how we'll get through this again! This time, Jack is on oral Diflucan instead of the topical Nystatin, so hopefully it'll work a bit better. I'm just looking forward to the day when feeding isn't so stressful and time-consuming; hopefully it'll be sooner rather than later :)

Re: New Accomplishments and Hobbies.
Jack has been quite the busy little man lately! Some of his latest adventures include:

Finding his feet - he grabbed onto them for the first time a couple of days ago, and goes crazy kicking the hanging rattle on his playmat. He also has woken me up kicking and banging his feet in the bassinet. It's pretty funny - you'll look over and all you see is two little feet in the air and then "ka-boom" on the mattress :)
Being SO aware - he is looking for things and focusing on them and enjoying them. He loves sitting in his bouncy seat and playing with the animals. He also looks right at you when you call his name and "talks" to you - making all kinds of sounds and expressions. It's amazing how alert and expressive he is lately! We are enjoying him so much!
Holding things - he likes to grab onto your fingers with both hands when you give him his binky and hold tight. He also puts his hands around his bottle and holds onto it. And he loves to pat my hair for some reason - it always makes him smile :)
Noticing the dogs - he loves to look at the dogs, especially Lucy. She greets him every morning by sticking her nose in the bassinet and he always grins at her. And he makes the funniest faces when they give him kisses!

Well, speaking of Lucy-goosey, she's developed a real problem with peeing. We noticed she had been going in the house the past couple of weeks, but chalked it up to her being pissed that Jack was getting so much attention. But just this weekend, she's been peeing everywhere, even stopping in the middle of coming downstairs to go there. I'm worried about it, and we'll call the vet tomorrow to make her an appointment. In the meantime, I think I'm going to get her some doggie diapers because she's now gone on two pieces of furniture and I don't want the house to be destroyed before we can figure out what's causing it and hopefully stop it! So, keep the goose in your good thoughts that it's just something that's easily (and inexpensively) fixed...

Jack is Two Months Old!

2009-05-15T14:07:00.004-04:00

Depending on how you look at it, Jack is two months or nine weeks old this week :)

Some of the things he's doing lately:

He smiles all the time - lots in the morning when he first wakes up. He especially likes when you do the motorboat noise or make kissing noises on his belly!

He loves ceiling fans. In fact, I would dare say he's obsessed. He just stares at them, smiles, coos, and acts like he's flirting with them. Too cute.

Speaking of which, he's making lots of little noises in response to talking.

He's discovered the baby in the mirror. I heard him gurgling away one day in the car, and when I pulled into the parking space, found him smiling and "talking" to the mirror!

He's grabbing small things like his binky. Last night, he wrapped his hand around his bottle. Earlier he had grabbed and pulled the tupperware container I was holding.

He's finding out that his feet are attached to his body. He kicks the crinkly leaf on his activity mat and gets excited about it!

His favorite song is Raffi's "Down by the Bay" - we've made up our own lyrics and sing it all the time. He starts moving his arms and legs and smiles really big when I start to sing! (okay, so maybe he's laughing at my singing voice...)
He had his first formula bottle last night. We had tried to give him one the night before to supplement since I'm going back to work on Monday, and you would have thought we were feeding him rat poison - such dramatic faces and antics! Then we mixed a soy formula with breastmilk last night and he drank it with no problem. And then this morning he threw a fit when I tried to give him another bottle. So who knows where we are with that!

On a related note, Jack had his two-month doctor's visit yesterday and got his shots - yuck! We found out that he's not growing at the pace they would like, so I had to collect his urine overnight for testing, and then he had to have blood drawn from his tiny little vein this morning. Let me tell you, if you've never tried to get urine from a baby using a bag with a horseshoe-shaped sticker on the end, you're not missing anything. And of course, watching him have blood taken was so incredibly sad, disturbing and pathetic.

Anyways, he now weighs 9lbs 15oz, is 22 3/4" long, and his head is 40cm. That puts his percentiles at 15th for weight (he was 50th), 50th for height (he was 85th), and 75th for head size (was 95th - I'm secretly not upset about that one :). What they look for is for them to stay around the same percentages, no matter what the weight/height. For example, him being at the 15th percentile for weight would be okay if he was around the 15th percentile at his two-week checkup. Dropping so much apparently isn't okay :(

So they're testing for metabolic disorders, thyroid function and kidney function. I am hoping that it's just leftover weight loss from when his mouth was sore from the thrush and he wasn't into eating that much. Actually, for as much as he fusses when he's hungry, he really doesn't get that into eating ever. He only eats for about 10 minutes, and that's with me cajoling him and doing everything I can think of to get him to eat more. So, if hopefully the test results are negative for everything, we can figure out a way to encourage his eating. Any suggestions welcome!!!

Some more photos from the weekend...

2009-04-29T11:00:00.003-04:00

Some photos from the weekend...

2009-04-29T10:55:00.002-04:00

More 5/6 Week Pictures...

2009-04-27T12:49:00.001-04:00

Jack at 6 Weeks

2009-04-27T12:42:00.004-04:00

Jack with the great Dr. Penn

Jack and bff Jake

Ellie finally holding Jack @ 5 weeks old!

Ready for Kendall's 2nd birthday party

Playing!

Jack was 6 weeks old on Thursday, and he's really becoming quite the character :)

Some of his latest activities - smiling in response to people, kicking and becoming very aware of his arms and legs, holding his head up for longer periods of time, sometimes sleeping for 5 hours (!!!) at night, and "talking" to you. He is more and more aware of his surroundings every day and is really becoming a 'big boy' :)

He's very advanced you know......