Too funny! Reminds me why we have these on our washer and dryer at home:
Friday, August 28, 2009
Little Monkey...
...this is what my parents found this morning after leaving the laundry room door open for a few minutes...
Too funny! Reminds me why we have these on our washer and dryer at home:
Too funny! Reminds me why we have these on our washer and dryer at home:
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Like Father, Like Son
Wow--two posts in two days! A record for me! I don't want to forget this, though...
Now that Jack is getting older, we are seeing more and more of his personality shining through. Mostly, I see Jared. If you know my husband, you know how fastidious he is about nearly everything. He is clean, orderly, irons (yes, even Jack's clothing), and likes things in their place all of the time. It seems that we have bred a child with the same tendencies.
Jack is a cautious, watchful kid. He observes things before jumping in there and we see this in the ways he imitates us. He, is however, also a stickler for things being done properly and in the "right" order. For example, when I pick him up from daycare, if I stop and chat for a minute, he gets incredibly anxious until we open the door and he can see the car waiting. He knows I come, we get in the car and we go. Interrupt that flow and he doesn't like it so much.
Lately, he has been fetching his diapers and immediately following a diaper change, he will promptly bring his diaper to the trashcan, dispose of it, make sure the lid to the can is closed and then come back for his box of wipes, bring it to the bathroom, and gesture for help to put it back into the cabinet where we keep them (it's a high cabinet).
At mealtimes, after we put him in his highchair, he immediately, reaches for his bib and gives it to us to put on him. When he is done, he makes the sign for "all done" and we wipe him down. He takes off his bib and takes the paper towel and cleans his tray and wipes his mouth. It's pretty funny and he does it like clockwork.
He's very good about cleaning up his toys (not to say he doesn't make messes!) but he is pretty good about knowing where things go and putting them there.
His latest involves the potty. Lately, he has been gesturing to sit on the potty. He is nowhere near being ready for potty training (given the fact he can't say any words!) but we indulge it since I figure if he is showing interest, I should try to acclimate him. So, I put him on the potty where he sits for a moment, reaches for a square of toilet paper, does some approximation of wiping, puts it in the toilet, flushes, puts the toilet seat down (I may be one of the few women with a husband who is very good abou this!), and then gestures for me to hold him up to the sink so he can wash his hands. Mind you, this is all from watching. We haven't made any effort to teach him any of this!
He just cracks me up! I never realized how much some of these traits are just a part of who someone is! Of course, I will take a neat and tidy child any day but it does make me wonder what we are in for with #2...
Now that Jack is getting older, we are seeing more and more of his personality shining through. Mostly, I see Jared. If you know my husband, you know how fastidious he is about nearly everything. He is clean, orderly, irons (yes, even Jack's clothing), and likes things in their place all of the time. It seems that we have bred a child with the same tendencies.
Jack is a cautious, watchful kid. He observes things before jumping in there and we see this in the ways he imitates us. He, is however, also a stickler for things being done properly and in the "right" order. For example, when I pick him up from daycare, if I stop and chat for a minute, he gets incredibly anxious until we open the door and he can see the car waiting. He knows I come, we get in the car and we go. Interrupt that flow and he doesn't like it so much.
Lately, he has been fetching his diapers and immediately following a diaper change, he will promptly bring his diaper to the trashcan, dispose of it, make sure the lid to the can is closed and then come back for his box of wipes, bring it to the bathroom, and gesture for help to put it back into the cabinet where we keep them (it's a high cabinet).
At mealtimes, after we put him in his highchair, he immediately, reaches for his bib and gives it to us to put on him. When he is done, he makes the sign for "all done" and we wipe him down. He takes off his bib and takes the paper towel and cleans his tray and wipes his mouth. It's pretty funny and he does it like clockwork.
He's very good about cleaning up his toys (not to say he doesn't make messes!) but he is pretty good about knowing where things go and putting them there.
His latest involves the potty. Lately, he has been gesturing to sit on the potty. He is nowhere near being ready for potty training (given the fact he can't say any words!) but we indulge it since I figure if he is showing interest, I should try to acclimate him. So, I put him on the potty where he sits for a moment, reaches for a square of toilet paper, does some approximation of wiping, puts it in the toilet, flushes, puts the toilet seat down (I may be one of the few women with a husband who is very good abou this!), and then gestures for me to hold him up to the sink so he can wash his hands. Mind you, this is all from watching. We haven't made any effort to teach him any of this!
He just cracks me up! I never realized how much some of these traits are just a part of who someone is! Of course, I will take a neat and tidy child any day but it does make me wonder what we are in for with #2...
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Home Again...
...at least for a short stay. I'm in San Diego for the month of August, Jared is manning the house (including Jack) by himself for the first two weeks and Jack will join me for the second two weeks. First week down and all went well. Back for a quick weekend visit; got in last night late and will leave again tomorrow late afternoon.
Some updates from around here:
Jack started speech therapy and we are very happy with the clinic we chose to go with at the University of Oregon. They are employing a method called the Pre-linguistic Milieu Teaching approach, which apparently uses signs to build the foundation for language development. Jack is catching on to the signs pretty quickly. He reliably uses "all done," "more," and "drink" after two weeks. We have ten target signs to work on during this little August break and he will start up again next month.
Jack has also decided to start biting this past week. We are hoping this is a short phase but I was horrified when he bit two different children two days in a row last week. One silver lining: the first girl he bit (and the most dramatic of the two bites) was apparently a terrible biter herself around this age so at least the parents were sympathetic.
Work is going well for both Jared and I. At a mid-year work event recently, Jared was given the "Immediate Impact" award for contributions he's made since starting. Work for me has been busy but all in a good way.
The pregnancy is going well so far. Most of the same complications as with Jack but this time around, they don't seem as dramatic as they did then. Maybe because we know what to expect and it's not new news? We did settle on a name for this little one: Charles Matthew Robert (we're sticking with the two middle name thing we did with Jack). We'll call him Charlie. He is a VERY active baby! Much, much more so than Jack was. It's hard to believe we are already 25 weeks through this pregnancy! When I get back at the end of August, we plan to attack all things baby to get ready.
We planted a little vegetable garden this year...first year Jared and I have ever done any gardening (I will admit to some help from our gardener!). We are growing zucchini, yellow squash, cucumber, winter squash, tomatoes (three varieties), strawberries, bell peppers and a lemon cucumber. So far, the plants have all been doing well. The strawberries have been yielding fruit, as has the cherry tomato plant, but unfortunately, the dogs have eaten all of the ripe tomatoes and strawberries. This has not made me a happy dog owner. We do, however, have two cucumbers that suddenly appeared out of nowhere, one lemon cucumber growing and we picked our first zucchini today!
Some updates from around here:
Jack started speech therapy and we are very happy with the clinic we chose to go with at the University of Oregon. They are employing a method called the Pre-linguistic Milieu Teaching approach, which apparently uses signs to build the foundation for language development. Jack is catching on to the signs pretty quickly. He reliably uses "all done," "more," and "drink" after two weeks. We have ten target signs to work on during this little August break and he will start up again next month.
Jack has also decided to start biting this past week. We are hoping this is a short phase but I was horrified when he bit two different children two days in a row last week. One silver lining: the first girl he bit (and the most dramatic of the two bites) was apparently a terrible biter herself around this age so at least the parents were sympathetic.
Work is going well for both Jared and I. At a mid-year work event recently, Jared was given the "Immediate Impact" award for contributions he's made since starting. Work for me has been busy but all in a good way.
The pregnancy is going well so far. Most of the same complications as with Jack but this time around, they don't seem as dramatic as they did then. Maybe because we know what to expect and it's not new news? We did settle on a name for this little one: Charles Matthew Robert (we're sticking with the two middle name thing we did with Jack). We'll call him Charlie. He is a VERY active baby! Much, much more so than Jack was. It's hard to believe we are already 25 weeks through this pregnancy! When I get back at the end of August, we plan to attack all things baby to get ready.
We planted a little vegetable garden this year...first year Jared and I have ever done any gardening (I will admit to some help from our gardener!). We are growing zucchini, yellow squash, cucumber, winter squash, tomatoes (three varieties), strawberries, bell peppers and a lemon cucumber. So far, the plants have all been doing well. The strawberries have been yielding fruit, as has the cherry tomato plant, but unfortunately, the dogs have eaten all of the ripe tomatoes and strawberries. This has not made me a happy dog owner. We do, however, have two cucumbers that suddenly appeared out of nowhere, one lemon cucumber growing and we picked our first zucchini today!
Monday, July 27, 2009
HOT!!!
Here is the forecast for the next 5 days...
99° F | 61° F
101° F | 61° F
103° F | 58° F
94° F | 56° F
85° F | 54° F
Seriously??? I thought moving to the rainy Northwest meant leaving some of that heat behind! I'll be in California for the month of August, so I guess I'm trading same for same. At least it's not humid here, I'll take some comfort in that.
Not much going on around here. Warning ahead: a small pity party.
I've been struggling with our move a little more lately. Especially as this baby's birth approaches. I can't believe we're already half way (well, more than halfway there). We still don't have a church. We left behind the church I've been going to since I was 18 years old, where I taught religious education, the church and priest that have seen me through all of the most significant events of my life: meeting Jared, marriage preparation, my wedding, the birth of my son, his baptism. We had a community there; people knew us when we showed up every Sunday, missed us if we didn't come. We haven't found anything even approximating that here. Our first problem has been finding a church that has a nursery. Seriously--most of the churches here don't seem to have nurseries, which I totally do not understand. Do people with small children just not go to church here????
More than the church issue, we don't have any friends. None. No girlfriends I can call up to have lunch with, no one to do meet for coffee or to swap babysitting or have a couples' date with. How did those of you who have been through this moving do it? How do you meet people? I miss my friends desperately. I feel like I just survive here until the weeks I get to go "home" and can see friends and family. This particular issue is giving me the most worry with the baby on the way. Since we also have no family up here, who are we going to call when my water breaks or I'm in labor? Who will stay with Jack? Our occasional weekend babysitter has a "real" job so certainly she can't come if the baby decides to make his appearance mid-week. I'm also really sad that there won't be anyone to come see my baby when he is born. I know our parents will come but we don't live in the most easily-accessible area and life makes it hard for our friends and other family to figure out a way and time to come up here.
Don't get me wrong, I don't regret this move. It was the right decision for Jared's career, for our family, and to help us create opportunities down the road. It's been a good learning and growing experience in our marriage--I now know that my family and home are wherever Jared and Jack are. I guess I just didn't count on it being so hard, either.
I'm trying to focus on the fact that "home" isn't the way it was when we left either--our best friends moved to Texas shortly after we left. Things aren't the same. And, I know that people--especially military families--do this kind of thing all the time. I'm just feeling today like the "adventure" is over and the reality isn't quite as rosy as it seemed when first got here.
99° F | 61° F
101° F | 61° F
103° F | 58° F
94° F | 56° F
85° F | 54° F
Seriously??? I thought moving to the rainy Northwest meant leaving some of that heat behind! I'll be in California for the month of August, so I guess I'm trading same for same. At least it's not humid here, I'll take some comfort in that.
Not much going on around here. Warning ahead: a small pity party.
I've been struggling with our move a little more lately. Especially as this baby's birth approaches. I can't believe we're already half way (well, more than halfway there). We still don't have a church. We left behind the church I've been going to since I was 18 years old, where I taught religious education, the church and priest that have seen me through all of the most significant events of my life: meeting Jared, marriage preparation, my wedding, the birth of my son, his baptism. We had a community there; people knew us when we showed up every Sunday, missed us if we didn't come. We haven't found anything even approximating that here. Our first problem has been finding a church that has a nursery. Seriously--most of the churches here don't seem to have nurseries, which I totally do not understand. Do people with small children just not go to church here????
More than the church issue, we don't have any friends. None. No girlfriends I can call up to have lunch with, no one to do meet for coffee or to swap babysitting or have a couples' date with. How did those of you who have been through this moving do it? How do you meet people? I miss my friends desperately. I feel like I just survive here until the weeks I get to go "home" and can see friends and family. This particular issue is giving me the most worry with the baby on the way. Since we also have no family up here, who are we going to call when my water breaks or I'm in labor? Who will stay with Jack? Our occasional weekend babysitter has a "real" job so certainly she can't come if the baby decides to make his appearance mid-week. I'm also really sad that there won't be anyone to come see my baby when he is born. I know our parents will come but we don't live in the most easily-accessible area and life makes it hard for our friends and other family to figure out a way and time to come up here.
Don't get me wrong, I don't regret this move. It was the right decision for Jared's career, for our family, and to help us create opportunities down the road. It's been a good learning and growing experience in our marriage--I now know that my family and home are wherever Jared and Jack are. I guess I just didn't count on it being so hard, either.
I'm trying to focus on the fact that "home" isn't the way it was when we left either--our best friends moved to Texas shortly after we left. Things aren't the same. And, I know that people--especially military families--do this kind of thing all the time. I'm just feeling today like the "adventure" is over and the reality isn't quite as rosy as it seemed when first got here.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Petting Zoo!
A quick post before I hop on a plane back to San Diego...Jack and I just returned less than a week ago from a two week visit out there but work calls...
While we were out there, we met my in-laws for a morning at a petting zoo in Orange County. As Jack has gotten bigger, it's become apparent that he is not a "kamikaze" kind of little boy. He is cautious and takes him time scoping things out before jumping in. So...the petting zoo was no exception. We started in the goat pen, where they had some very, very cute baby goats. The goats were, however, a little agressive for the starting point. So, we made a quick exit to the bunny and guinea pig pen. After a bit of time, Jack warmed up to the idea of feeding them and by the end of the visit, had deteriorated into Jack trying to pick up the guinea pigs by their fur. They were good sports about the whole thing, fortunately. Here are some highlights from the trip.
Jack with his Grampy:
Jack feeding a bunny:
Here's Jack eating the carrot meant for the bunny...
Jack really liked the Llama...me, not so much when I saw the size of its teeth. My mother later reminded me that llamas spit (fortunately, that didn't happen):
Finally, at the end of the visit, here is Jack feeding the animals from his snack trap.
It was a fun day, we had a nice time seeing Jack's Grammie and Grampy, and we're looking forward to going back sometime when Jared can come. I'll post pictures from the 4th of July soon!
While we were out there, we met my in-laws for a morning at a petting zoo in Orange County. As Jack has gotten bigger, it's become apparent that he is not a "kamikaze" kind of little boy. He is cautious and takes him time scoping things out before jumping in. So...the petting zoo was no exception. We started in the goat pen, where they had some very, very cute baby goats. The goats were, however, a little agressive for the starting point. So, we made a quick exit to the bunny and guinea pig pen. After a bit of time, Jack warmed up to the idea of feeding them and by the end of the visit, had deteriorated into Jack trying to pick up the guinea pigs by their fur. They were good sports about the whole thing, fortunately. Here are some highlights from the trip.
Jack with his Grampy:
Jack feeding a bunny:
Here's Jack eating the carrot meant for the bunny...
Jack really liked the Llama...me, not so much when I saw the size of its teeth. My mother later reminded me that llamas spit (fortunately, that didn't happen):
Finally, at the end of the visit, here is Jack feeding the animals from his snack trap.
It was a fun day, we had a nice time seeing Jack's Grammie and Grampy, and we're looking forward to going back sometime when Jared can come. I'll post pictures from the 4th of July soon!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Growing Like a Weed
Gosh, the days are flying by! I can't believe I am already 17 weeks pregnant, which for me may mean I am already more than halfway through the pregnancy! This baby is VERY active...much more so than Jack was. I felt him moving at a much earlier stage and I feel him pretty frequently!
Yesterday, we had a checkup for Jack. Just a normal well-baby checkup but I thought this was as good a time as any to write down a few things about my baby boy and what he is up to these days.
Starting with cold stats--he is in the 50th percentile for height and somewhere between the 25th and 30th for weight. He is 31 inches long and 23 lbs at 16 months. Quite an accomplishment for a kid who wasn't even on the charts at birth and hovered near the 4th percentile for a large portion of his first year. That means he has grown 500% (in weight) since birth!
Still no talking. :-( But, Jack is becoming more and more independent and we are really starting to see his personality develop. He is silly, he loves to make this "cheesy" smile for us (he wrinkles up his nose and shows all his teeth). Unfortunately, we haven't been able to get it on camera yet. He LOVES phones--of all kinds, but he isn't tricked by fake phones. He holds it up to his ear, "talks" into it and then will try to hold it up to your ear. He loves to be chased, especially after his bath when we are trying to get him in pajamas. He's become very affectionate and gives me big hugs. There is nothing that warms my heart more than him falling into my arms for a hug. He has started bringing me books to read to him. He likes to dance. We have this little LeapFrog magnetic puzzle thing on the refrigerator and if you press the frog, it plays silly banjo music. He likes to press it and does this silly little dance all around. He's a great mimic--you show him anything once and he'll have it down. For example, he watched me using the Doppler to listen to the baby's heartbeat and now, whenever he sees it, he'll grab it and run it along his tummy.
Yesterday, we had a checkup for Jack. Just a normal well-baby checkup but I thought this was as good a time as any to write down a few things about my baby boy and what he is up to these days.
Starting with cold stats--he is in the 50th percentile for height and somewhere between the 25th and 30th for weight. He is 31 inches long and 23 lbs at 16 months. Quite an accomplishment for a kid who wasn't even on the charts at birth and hovered near the 4th percentile for a large portion of his first year. That means he has grown 500% (in weight) since birth!
Still no talking. :-( But, Jack is becoming more and more independent and we are really starting to see his personality develop. He is silly, he loves to make this "cheesy" smile for us (he wrinkles up his nose and shows all his teeth). Unfortunately, we haven't been able to get it on camera yet. He LOVES phones--of all kinds, but he isn't tricked by fake phones. He holds it up to his ear, "talks" into it and then will try to hold it up to your ear. He loves to be chased, especially after his bath when we are trying to get him in pajamas. He's become very affectionate and gives me big hugs. There is nothing that warms my heart more than him falling into my arms for a hug. He has started bringing me books to read to him. He likes to dance. We have this little LeapFrog magnetic puzzle thing on the refrigerator and if you press the frog, it plays silly banjo music. He likes to press it and does this silly little dance all around. He's a great mimic--you show him anything once and he'll have it down. For example, he watched me using the Doppler to listen to the baby's heartbeat and now, whenever he sees it, he'll grab it and run it along his tummy.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Bad Mommy
Preface to this post: I am blessed by a baby who goes to bed around 6 pm each night and goes easily. No complicated bedtime routine, no fussing. We bring him upstairs, lie him down awake, turn on his seahorse and off to sleep he goes.
I officially feel like the world's worst mommy. Last night, Jack was in a rare state. I picked him up from daycare and he was throwing a fit about not being able to play with a broom. The fit continued when I strapped him into the car. By the time we got home, he was mostly calm but as soon as I got him out, he got mad again because he wanted to play outside and we were headed inside. Fortunately, Jared was home early yesterday so I promptly handed my screaming toddler to my husband. :-) It didn't end there...there were tears through dinner and bath and at this point, we were slightly concerned because he just wasn't acting like him. We took his temp. We gave him teething tablets and some Tylenol. All to no avail. Finally, we decided he needed to go to bed. The first attempt did not work out. He came back downstairs, played nicely for about 3 minutes and then was inconsolable again. After all this, we decided he really, really needed to go to bed and he would just have to cry it out. Cry it out he did--really, it only lasted about 15-20 mins. Later, I went to check on him. He was sleeping peacefully. This morning, I noticed his face and hair were somewhat crusty and felt guilty thinking it must have been mucus from all the crying.
Well, this evening, I went upstairs to get him a towel for bathtime and for some reason, pulled the blanket out of his crib. And realized it was covered in vomit. My poor guy had thrown up last night (likely the cause for all of his fussing last night) and we let him sleep covered and lying in his vomit. I feel so terrible. Next time, I will try to problem solve a little more.
On an unrelated note, my best friend's daughter (and my namesake!), Katy, is having surgery on Thursday to have tubes put in her ears. Although a relatively minor surgery, it's always scary to have your baby put under anesthesia. Please keep them in your prayers, for Jennifer and Robby's peace of mind, that the surgery goes easily and that it is successful in helping keep these chronic ear infections Katy's been having at bay.
I officially feel like the world's worst mommy. Last night, Jack was in a rare state. I picked him up from daycare and he was throwing a fit about not being able to play with a broom. The fit continued when I strapped him into the car. By the time we got home, he was mostly calm but as soon as I got him out, he got mad again because he wanted to play outside and we were headed inside. Fortunately, Jared was home early yesterday so I promptly handed my screaming toddler to my husband. :-) It didn't end there...there were tears through dinner and bath and at this point, we were slightly concerned because he just wasn't acting like him. We took his temp. We gave him teething tablets and some Tylenol. All to no avail. Finally, we decided he needed to go to bed. The first attempt did not work out. He came back downstairs, played nicely for about 3 minutes and then was inconsolable again. After all this, we decided he really, really needed to go to bed and he would just have to cry it out. Cry it out he did--really, it only lasted about 15-20 mins. Later, I went to check on him. He was sleeping peacefully. This morning, I noticed his face and hair were somewhat crusty and felt guilty thinking it must have been mucus from all the crying.
Well, this evening, I went upstairs to get him a towel for bathtime and for some reason, pulled the blanket out of his crib. And realized it was covered in vomit. My poor guy had thrown up last night (likely the cause for all of his fussing last night) and we let him sleep covered and lying in his vomit. I feel so terrible. Next time, I will try to problem solve a little more.
On an unrelated note, my best friend's daughter (and my namesake!), Katy, is having surgery on Thursday to have tubes put in her ears. Although a relatively minor surgery, it's always scary to have your baby put under anesthesia. Please keep them in your prayers, for Jennifer and Robby's peace of mind, that the surgery goes easily and that it is successful in helping keep these chronic ear infections Katy's been having at bay.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)