More Table Time

A few months ago, Jay and I got a little table for Jack. It was by far the best $30 we have ever spent. Jack loves sitting at his table! He is so excited to color, have snack or just read books at his table. I do get a little annoyed by it sometimes though, Jack does insist that I sit with him and sometimes I really need to do dishes and he keeps pushing me back to my chair.

Table Time

Jack learned a new trick a while ago, one that I am not very excited about. He has learned how to climb up on the dining room chairs and grab at anything and everything sitting on the table. These pictures show Jack "reading" the Sunday paper. Also, I just have to add that there is no way that these pics were actually taken on a Sunday. With Jack keeping us so busy, it takes me at least three days to get through the sale ads, so the paper stays on the table for at least half the week, if not all the way to the next Sunday!

Jack has decided that it is great fun to put his trucks up on the table and then shove them off. It is a game that can go on for an hour.

Here is the little man having snack at the table, his chin just barely high enough to be above the table!

Thankful

This morning as I was getting ready, I was trying to figure out what I am most thankful for this year. I finally figured out that one phrase can pretty much sum up everything that I am thankful for.
I am thankful for what I know and I am thankful for what I don't know.
1. I am thankful that I know what it is like to have a sleepy child lay his head on my shoulder and I am thankful that I don't know what it is like to loose a child.
2. I am thankful that I know what it is like to buy a house and I am thankful that I do not know what it is like to have a home foreclosed.
3. I am thankful that I know what it is like to spend every day with my child and I am thankful that I do not know what it is like to leave my child in a daycare.
4. I am thankful that I know what it is like to have my parents still hold hands in public and I thankful that I do not know what it is like to have divorced parents.
5. I am thankful that I know what it is like to have a husband in love with me and his child and I am thankful that I do not know what it is like to be a single mother.
6. I am thankful that I know what it is like trying to figure out how to try and visit all of our families during the holidays and I am thankful that I do not know what it is like to have family that doesn't wish to see us.
7. I am thankful that I know how much a friend can help and I am thankful not to know what it is like to feel like you have no one.

There are so many experiences that I am so glad that I have been lucky enough to enjoy and I am so very, very thankful that I have been so lucky to avoid so much pain and heartbreak that others have had to endure.

18 Months

Our little Jack is already 18 months old! Time flies so fast when you are chasing after an active little guy!

18 Month Stats:
Height: 33 1/2 inches (81%)
Weight: 26 pounds, 4oz (55%)
Head: 18 1/4 inches (14%)

Likes: All veggies, bananas, yogurt, pears, playing outside, cookies, dogs, cats, being teased, causing trouble, jumping on beds, brushing his teeth, Tylenol, commercials with dogs and cats, pacifiers, his night-night blanket, Daddy and Mommy.

Dislikes: Being told "No", shots and Daddy going to work.

When we took Jack in for his 18 month appointment, Jack's doctor said that Jack is one of the most healthy kids he has had in a long time. Hopefully that will continue this winter as well!

Since it was Jack's half birthday, I felt that cupcakes were necessary for desert. We bought some at Target and I have learned my lesson not to buy Halloween cupcakes ever again!

The Little Dipper

Tonight at dinner, Jack was eating very nicely when all of the sudden he kept pointing towards the kitchen telling me "more". I couldn't figure out what he needed "more" of. We were having Chicken Cordon Bleu over rice, with squash and peaches rounding out the meal, all of which there was still plenty on his high chair tray. He also still had plenty of milk, his fork and a bowl, so what could he need "more" of? He had been having some pumpkin bread (a new favorite of his, we have gone through a loaf and a half since Friday) before dinner, so I thought maybe he wanted more of that and offered it to him. Nope. Not it. I realized that he was pointing towards the fridge, so I asked him if he wanted cheese and he happily responded "cheese!", I was impressed with myself for figuring out the "more" problem to only have him start all over again. What else could he want out of the fridge? Hmmm.....ahhh, ketchup! I offered him ketchup and it turned out that is what he wanted all along. For the rest of his meal, he happily dipped his shredded cheddar cheese, chicken cordon bleu, squash and pumpkin bread into his ketchup. I should have figured it out earlier, the kid loves to dip his food in anything, during breakfast he will dip his toast in his yogurt and at lunch he dips his green beans in his applesauce. Ick.
A couple of weeks ago, Jay, Jack and I were at Ikea and stopped for lunch while we were there. I had some Swedish Meatballs with mashed potatoes and gravy. Jack had chicken nuggets and fries. He wasn't interested in trying my meal at all, but all of the sudden he started reaching over to dip his fries in my gravy. I was disgusted, but apparently Jack enjoyed it because he ate the rest of his fries that way. Ick.
I think I better stock up on ketchup and other dipping sauces, I think we will be going through a lot of it!

What A Wonderful World

Last Tuesday, Jay and I went in for an ultrasound of the baby. We were given the exciting news that a little baby GIRL will be entering our family! She is perfect and healthy and we are so excited. The ultrasound technician showed us all of our little baby's parts, including her itty-bitty kidneys. The technician had a really hard time getting pictures of her because our little lady was moving all around the entire time (just like her big brother!), but we did get a couple that we will post soon. Right now she is positioned like she is standing straight up, so Jay and I think that all of her moving around was "dancing". We have already picked up a few PINK things and I can't wait to do more shopping!

Unanswered Prayers

Tomorrow Jay and I are going in for a routine ultrasound. This one is the big one where they can tell you the sex of the baby, and yes, we want to know! I feel so very different about this ultrasound compared to Jack's. While pregnant with Jack, I somehow knew from the very beginning that he was a boy, but I desperately wanted a girl. I even wore pink to the ultrasound to try and help swing it in my favor. I was shocked when I was told that I was carrying a boy even though I had thought so since the very beginning. I just kept thinking, "Why would God give me a boy? I don't do well with trucks and sandboxes, it just wouldn't be fair to him or me.". I had always pictured having a little girl with black pigtails and brown eyes that loved books and having tea parties. Wow, was I way off from what I pictured! But, I learned that God knew exactly what I needed and sent Jack our way. It is kind of like that song about Thank God for unanswered prayers.
This pregnancy, I feel that it is a girl. Jay is hoping for a girl, I am hoping for a boy and if Jack had any understanding as to what is going on and could verbalize his wants, he would tell us he wants a 5 year old brother. One of us will be getting what we want and since I will be giving birth to it, I sure hope Jack isn't the one that wins!
I want a boy this time because of Jack. I think he needs a little brother, a partner in crime, someone to blame stuff on. I think he needs someone to wrestle with more than he needs someone trying to get him to put on make-up. Also, I kind of feel like this whole son thing is working out, why change it up? Even though I have all of those opinions, this time I have much more faith in God that he will deliver to our family exactly what we need, so boy or girl, we will trust that it will be what will fit into our family, besides our goal is for a baby and that we already know is for sure what we are having.

The Great Minnesota Get-Together!

State Fair! Jay and I have always loved going to Minnesota's state fair and really enjoy sharing it with Jack. Jack went last year as a little 4 month old baby, so this year was even more fun showing him the animals, letting him eat the fair foods and participating in Little Farm Hands.

Luckily, Jack took a nap mid-day.

Here is Jay and Jack on the Giant Slide. Neither one enjoyed it very much...or I should say, neither one enjoyed it at all!

Mmmmm, mini donuts!

Lots and lots of cookies.

Jack after lots and lots of cookies!

Happy Boy!

It was a great day! Jack's favorite part was the ride home. We rode on the upper level of a double decker bus, Jack was in Heaven! He loved looking out at everything, but even more, he loved entertaining the passengers on the bus. We sat near the front and he kept everyone behind us entertained by playing peek-a-boo, waving, offering his pacifier to people and just constant chatter with everyone! As people were getting off the bus, most of them stopped to tell us how adorable he was, obviously they didn't see how difficult it was to keep him in our laps! Let's just say we aren't tempted to take any plane rides with him anytime soon!

Touch a Truck!

Our community puts on a fantastic event called "Touch a Truck". We took Jack to the event and he was able to climb on everything from a snowplow to a Zamboni. His favorite by far was the fire truck! As soon as he was lifted into it, he found the walkie-talkie and was immediately determined to get it and keep it!

Besides all of the cool activities for the kids, they also had popcorn, hot dogs and ice cream. Jack ate 2 bags of popcorn! He loved it! He wouldn't even eat his ice cream cone because he was too busy with the popcorn!

Jay and I had so much fun taking Jack to this event! We love having "family fun" and this was an entire evening of family fun!

Pregnancy Brain

Have you ever had a moment where your brain has completely left your head and all you can do is be thankful that you can blame it on being pregnant rather than a regular idiot?

A couple of weeks ago, our carbon monoxide detector started to alarm. I really didn't think that we had a problem, so I first tried replacing the batteries. When I inserted the new batteries, the thing started going crazy while still in my hands! I still wasn't entirely convinced that we had a problem and we happened to have another detector still in a package, so I opened that one up, installed the batteries and hung it up in the basement where the old one used to go. I was convinced that I had solved the problem, but within minutes, beeping started coming from the basement again.
I finally decided that Jack and I should leave the house, so I grabbed Jack, my cell-phone and a phone book so I could call the gas company. I called the gas company and explained the situation, they asked me questions like, "Is anyone tired, nauseous or light-headed?" My answer was, "I'm pregnant, I don't think I would be able to tell the difference!". The gas company arrived within 10 minutes (I was shocked they came so quickly) to check out the problem. The guy had me take him to where the detector was located and on the way it started beeping again, only we weren't in the right spot yet. The guy from the gas company looked above his head where the beeping was coming from and then at me and said "Your problem isn't carbon monoxide, you need to replace the batteries in your SMOKE detector." I just looked at him and blankly said, "Huh?" I then realized after I had replaced the entire carbon monoxide detector and the beeping had started again, I had never actually gone downstairs to see where the beeping was coming from.
Can you imagine that? The smoke detector batteries died within minutes as the carbon monoxide detector batteries! And, no, they weren't even the same type of batteries!
When I called Jay to tell him of my mistake, he was quick to blame it on "pregnancy brain", I started to argue that it had nothing to do with being pregnant, but then decided I would rather that he thought that I was only temporarily an idiot.

Questions Answered

When you announce that the stork is coming, the questions start coming! Our family and friends are all so excited about baby #2 and have had a ton of questions for us--I hope this sums up most of it :-)

Why did you have such an early ultrasound? I had my first scheduled appointment with my doctor at 10 weeks. My doctor could not get a heartbeat with the doppler so she had us go in for an ultrasound just to make sure that everything is ok, which everything turned out to be great!

Are you having a boy or girl? The ultrasound was way too early to tell, we will have another ultrasound around the end of September at which hopefully the baby will cooperate and we will find out the sex.

How are you feeling? Mentally--very excited, nervous, scared. Physically-- I feel pregnant (i.e. like crap, like I am dying, like I am wanting to die at times...) I have informed Jay that I am dying, Jay does not seem too concerned...

Are you changing the URL to the blog? The URL (the address) of the blog will be staying the same, baby #2 will just have to be jealous of that. I wish that I had realized I would have more children when I picked the URL, but pregnancy, labor, delivery and postpartum were all a little too fresh in my mind for me to think we would have another. The name of the blog (Little Man Jack) will change, though. At this time I have no good ideas as to what to change it to, so any suggestions would be welcome, the only rule I have is that it can't use our last name.

How big was Jack if your doctor wants to induce early? Jack was born 5 days early and weighed in at 8lbs, 9oz. If he had been born on his due date, he could have been over 9 pounds! Second babies are usually larger than the first, so if baby would go to it's due date, we could quite possibly have a 9 pounder. I am short, very short (5'3'') and my frame is such that my doctor said that I am just not made to deliver big babies (Jack was not a c-section baby, but towards the end, I was begging for one!). My husband is broad shouldered and 6'3''--apparently his genes won with Jack, we will just have to wait a little while to see who this baby will take after and let the doctor make the decision on whether or not to induce.

So, does this mean that you are finally done breastfeeding Jack? Oh, yes. I stopped nursing Jack when he was 13 months old. I had a whole 15 days of my body being only responsible for myself.

Any names picked out? Jay and I each have a few names we like, very few that we both like. Any suggestions would be welcome--except from Nana, sorry Mom, but no, I will not name this child Atticus nor Major if it is a boy.

Jack has something to say

If you have seen Jack lately, he was probably wearing this shirt as he has been the one announcing our exciting news!
Yup, Jack will be a Big Brother in February! I am twelve weeks along and baby is doing well. We had an ultrasound at 10 weeks and saw it legs and arms moving around! It was wonderful to hear and see the heart beating at a very strong 185 beats per minute!

If you are trying to figure out the math, the two will be about 22 months apart. My actual due date is February 21st, however, if the baby seems to be growing as well as Jack did, my doctor will be inducing me 2 weeks early as she says I am not made for big babies.

Now that you have been clued in to what is going on around here, I hope you are forgiving as to why I have no recent pictures of Jack, why I have not been keeping up with blogging and why my child is often in pajamas at 2 o'clock in the afternoon!

Cousins

Our little family had the chance to spend some time with my whole family recently. Jack loved playing with cousin Cale! (Yes, I am sure he loves Ellie too, but, well, if you were there you would understand.... Ellie isn't exactly thrilled to have a cousin and well, Jack isn't exactly thrilled to have a three year old yelling "no" at him all the time... I am sure you are starting to understand.) During our trips back to my parents, Jack and Cale played with a duck, a cat, golf carts and Aunt Mimi. Cale also gave Jack wagon rides and played with him endlessly. It was wonderful to have a pint sized nanny!

The below picture is of Aunt Mimi taking all three kids for a ride on a golf cart. The kids were loving it! (My parents had a large quilt and garden show and we used golf carts to bring people back and forth to their vehicles.) Yes, in this picture, Jack is in his pajamas. I would like to claim that the picture was taken early in the morning, but no, it was taken in the early afternoon. While in the country, I just let him roam around in whatever because he was getting so dirty that he was going through several outfits a day!

15 Months

Jack is already 15 months old!
Here are his stats:

Height: 31 3/4inches (65%)

Weight: 24 lbs, 8oz (47%)

Head: 18 inches (12%)

Likes: dancing, veggies, Thin Mint Cookies, Daddy (and Mommy, but Daddy is favorite), corn on the cob (he even made up his own sign language to tell us he wants it), the neighbor's trampoline, older kids-especially cousin Cale, riding in golf carts, brushing his teeth and performing Evel Knievel type skills.

Dislikes: being told "no", Daddy leaving the room, fresh veggies from Mommy's garden and reading books.

Fun Facts:
* Jack now says about 8 words: Dada, Jay, Daddy, Tickle-Tickle, Duck, Kitty, Cookie and Dog. (Did you notice that he has three words to ask for Jay and none for me?!?!?)
* He will (with great prompting) say Mama, Nana and Papa but he has no idea what those words mean. He will also occasionally repeat a word I say perfectly, but then never say it again.
* He is still a busy little boy, still running, still jumping, still dancing--he prefers to do all of these things on surfaces not meant for such activities--the couch, the rocking chair, his car, the stairs or the top of the slide.
* He is still the best sleeper ever--at bed time we tell him, "Night, Night" and he giggles and runs to his room. We then kiss him goodnight, give him three pacifiers (must be three!), and he smiles and lays down. We then see him 12 1/2 to 13 1/2 hours later! It is unbelievable to think how difficult nights were a year ago (Jack nursed every two hours, day AND night) and now we must admit that he has turned into a pretty easy kid!
* Jack still just has eight teeth, but he has two more that are very close.

The picture above was taken at my parent's house. Jack loved the duck and the duck liked to follow Jack around too. It was very sweet to watch the two of them wander through the gardens!

The Best Part of Summer!

Jack has a new favorite food!

How Jack came to live with us

My sister has a very sweet story that she tells her two children about how they were born into their family. She tells them that Mommy and Daddy said a prayer asking for a baby. Then, God went and asked the children "Who wants to go and live with Holly and Sean?". Cale was sitting very nicely and raised his hand and said, "I do, I do! I want to live with Holly and Sean!" God agreed and Cale was sent to live with Holly and Sean. They also say that Cale came before Ellie (their second child) because Ellie was too busy talking (if you know Ellie, you would know that this part of the story makes complete sense) the first time so she had to wait until the next time God asked if anyone wanted to live with Holly and Sean.

Holly spent a couple of days with Jack last week. On the last day, she agreed with me that Jack was meant to be a younger brother, not the oldest. He loves older children and is just too busy to pay attention to younger children. She then told me that the reason Jack came first is because when God asked who wanted to come and live with Jay and Stacey, Jack was being so loud that God could not hear any other children over Jack. And, that God decided that he had been dealing with Jack since the beginning of time and God was ready for some peace and quiet in Heaven!

My sister and I don't always agree on everything, but this story makes complete sense to me!

TV Time

I am not a fan of letting children watch TV. I strongly feel that there are much better things to occupy their time, so, I do try to limit Jack's TV time. I do, however allow him to occasionally watch two shows. Which ones would my little child choose, Bob the Builder, Clifford the Big Red Dog, maybe even Scooby Doo? Oh, no...not little man Jack. He prefers Desperate Housewives and Ellen. No joke.

If Desperate Housewives is on, Jack will crawl up on lap and SIT AND CUDDLE with me. If you know Jack, then you know that it is a rare occurrence to catch the kid sitting much less cuddling. So, I take advantage of it. Everyday after lunch, Jack and I watch a little bit of the show. Most days only about 15 minutes, but if I am really needing more cuddle time, then I leave the TV on a little longer and soak up all the cuddling I can get.

Jack's other favorite show is Ellen--the daytime talk show. He LOVES the dancing, the music, the games and all of the clapping and laughing. We only get the chance to watch this show about once a week, but I enjoy watching Jack watch it even more than I enjoy the show.

This week, Jack really enjoyed Beyonce's performance! Here is a video of him dancing along with her.

Yes, Jack's dancing is....well, let's just say that he dances as well as his parents! If you would like to come and teach the poor child how to dance, by all means, go ahead!

Ketch-Up

What did the daddy tomato say to the baby tomato when it started lagging behind? Ketchup son!
OK, so I am pretty behind in blogging so here is a quick post to catch you up on (most of) what has been going on around here.
First of all, Father's Day was celebrated! Jack and I took Jay out for a wonderful breakfast and Jack was very well behaved. He flirted with everyone that walked past us and even had several people stopping by our table to tell him how adorable he was. Jay was already a very proud dad, but that made him even prouder.
Jay is a fantastic father, I couldn't ask for a better one! Jack is a very lucky little man to have such a wonderful daddy!

A week or so later, my Aunt Cathi and my cousin Bevin came to the cities for a girls' weekend. Jack and I met them at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, I hate to admit this, but in my 11 years of living here, this was my first time there!

We had a wonderful time catching up and Jack enjoyed being in the backpack.

But, he enjoyed running around the park with Bevin even more!

My sister Holly came to visit my parents with her two kids, so Jack and I came and visited all of them in SD.

Jack loved having Cale pull him around in the wagon!

During Holly and the kids' last visit, Nana and Papa bought the kids ducks! Well, they are down to one duck, but boy oh boy, it has grown! It has also become much faster, but that did not stop Ellie from catching the duck and carrying it around!

For the 4th of July, my sister Missi came to visit. Missi, Jack and I went to the Farmer's Market. It was Jack's first trip there this year. He enjoyed all the sights, sounds and smells, but most of all, he enjoyed the Mini Doughnuts! Poor Missi, she had Jack on her back in the hiking backpack while he was eating those, so she went the rest of the morning with sugar all down her back!

Last weekend, we went to Jay's family to celebrate his father's 60th birthday! It was wonderful to see so much of Jay's family all at once! Jack enjoyed running around the farm and chasing the cats and dogs.

Anyone else out there?

Is mine the only toddler that prefers Kid Rock(and to those of you who are thinking "Kid Rock" is meant for kids to rock to, you are waaaaay wrong) to Raffi?
Is mine the only toddler that looks at babyproofing as a personal challenge rather than a reminder that he is not allowed in that drawer?
Is mine the only toddler that has learned how to say both Da-da and his father's name but still has no idea who "Mama" is?
Is mine the only toddler that has whole conversations on his toy phone that even includes fake laughter?
Is mine the only toddler that when you go to greet him in the morning with your loving outstretched arms, he looks past you and hollers "DA-DA!"?
Is mine the only toddler that is convinced that you need toys in the shower just as he does in the tub? And then throws everything he can find in at you including your slippers, hair brush and toilet paper?

Observations

Conversation in our home today:

Jay: Look! His [Jack's] top teeth are almost in!
Me: What?!?! (me in disbelief that I had not noticed this) Let me see!
Me: No, there not even close. (said after looking where his next teeth should be coming in)
Jay: What? Can't you see the little white things?
(So, I look again)
Me: No, they aren't close.
Jay: Uh, huh, right there, in the front.
Me: You mean the top four front teeth that he has had since April?!?!?
Jay: You mean he already had those?

Dads are not always observant. And, apparently leave their "listening ears" at work each day.

About 15 minutes after this conversation, Jay did try and back track and say that he did know that Jack had his top four teeth, but that now they looked like real teeth or something like that. I wasn't buying his story.

Children's Museum

Jack and I headed back to the Children's Museum! This time we were meeting Thalia and her son Adrian. Thalia and I worked together and our due dates were only about a week apart. Adrian ended up being born on Jack's due date (five days after Jack's birthday). Thalia and I spent our entire pregnancies comparing symptoms, cravings, movements and every other pregnancy detail!!! It was fun to have the boys play together after we spent our pregnancies together!
The first picture is the view I had of Jack throughout most of the day~him running away from me! Most of the pictures I have are like this!

Here the boys are having snack together. They had a great time trying to take each other's snacks and sippy cups! I really tried to get a picture of the two of them looking at the camera, but I had no luck!

Water Fun

Jack and I have been spending a lot of our afternoons at the pool. It is so neat to watch him become more comfortable with the water each time we go. He loves it when there are older kids for him to follow around at the splash pad! Come and join us sometime!

Fun in the yard

Jack has been enjoying our backyard. He LOVES to be outside! He runs in the grass, plays on the swingset and chases the neighbors' dogs. He also likes to "help" in the garden (I think his "help" is the reason that my carrots are not coming up yet). Our backyard is starting to get so much kid stuff, that it is starting to look like a home daycare! I am just waiting for a neighbor to ask how many kids I take care of!