18 Months

Just got back from Jack's 18 month appointment...

Here are his current stats:

Weight: 27lbs 12oz (50th percentile)
Length: 31.5 inches (25th percentile)
OFC (Head Circumference): 18 inches (10th percentile)

Everything seemed to be right on track with no concerns (other than my own, which I'll get to momentarily). My next mission is to get him that darn H1N1 vaccine...if it ever becomes available. And then to make an appointment with a pediatric dentist just so he can start getting used to going.

On the homefront....
We're battling with illness again...it already seems like its neverending this season. Cold after cold. Now Jack has some virus (cough, diarrhea, runny nose, but no fever). Bob is sick with what I can only imagine is a flu of some sort--the doctor said to make him come in tomorrow if he's still running fevers (I'm sure he will be). And while I've had the stuffy nose and cough that never leaves, I'm now waiting to catch what Bob has. I'm praying I don't, but realistic enough to think that my chances aren't looking good. I'm not sure who will take care of Jack if I get sick (Bob has been in seclusion in the bedroom since he woke up yesterday morning).

I'm going a little nutty doing it all by myself. Kudos to single parents! I'm not even 48 hours in, and I want a break. No one to talk to...except Jack (who I find is trying the very little patience I have left on a much more frequent basis). Its boring, tiring, tedious, and there's the ever present worry about Jack (and I) getting sick. Ugh!

Thanks for listening to the rants and worries of this crazy mommy! :)

"Buvoo"

Jack is saying a ton of new things. Repeating all kinds of things (we better start editing ourselves REALLY well). My favorite new phrase...

... "Buvoo" ....

Any guesses?

Its Jack talk for "I Love You".

And, yes, I do, too, little man...more than you will ever imagine.

In the Early Days...

In the early days, Jack fell asleep anywhere, anytime. In fact, until he was about a month old, we thought we had one of those laid back, easy babies.

However, Jack proved to quickly be the spirited child that we thought him to be when we used to feel his crazy moves while I was pregnant with him. And the times like those pictured above....are but a vague vague memory.

Thankfully, its now bedtime in our house. The madman is no longer roaming the living room like a crazy person. There's quiet throughout the house. And there's a little boy peacefully sleeping in his bed. Ahhhh, bliss! (Although, I kind of miss him....its the happiest and the saddest time of day!)

Today, I'm sad.
Today, I'm amazed.
Today, I'm honored.
Today, I'm humbled.
Today, I'm heartbroken.
Today, I'm grateful.
Today, I don't understand WHY.
But, today, I came home and hugged my baby extra tight.

iphone--Fun for All Ages

I adore my iphone. A lot. It is an amazing little invention. And someone, in their brilliance, has made lots of games that cater to children of all ages. For a whopping $0.99 (most of the time), you can find something to entertain your screaming toddler, your bored child, and even yourself. This summer, our niece Ava took quite an interest in my phone...and we found 2 games perfectly suitable for a princess such as herself (MyNails and MyMakeup). And they literally kept her entertained for hours. She was quite careful and gentle and VERY quickly learned how to navigate the pages. I have a sneaky suspicion that the next time I see her...the first words out of her mouth might be, "Can I play with your phone?".

Gun Etiquette 101

This summer, at Sue and Ed's, some of the guys spent some time shooting clay pigeons.

Everyone who was there remembers what happened here.....lol.

(Side note: All the children and babies were safely tucked far away while the guns were out.)

Dancing....

Jack loves to dance. He's been bouncing to the beat of music since he figured out how. Dancing used to mean bobbing his head and upper body around. He's switched up his routine lately. Now, dancing essentially means running in place. And he breaks out his moves anytime there's music to be heard. And its hilarious and adorable.

In this 'music video', Jack is dancing to a song from the movie 'Babe' (you know, the one with the talking pig who has that tuft of hair on his head who saves himself from being eaten by learning to herd sheep, or, if you're lucky, maybe you DON'T know).

This video will be a little difficult to watch unless you have a laptop (that you can turn sideways) because, not thinking, I filmed it with the camera turned sideways. If you don't have a laptop...its still worth watching; you'll just, uh, have to strain your neck a little.

T-t-t-t-turtle

Since Jack is only at daycare a few days a week, we just send a bag with him on the days he goes with all his 'supplies' (diapers, wipes, spare clothes, etc). I recently down-graded to this little turtle backpack that I bought long before he was born (I thought it was cute). Lately, Jack has been wanting to carry it around when we're at home. Its so fun to watch him want to do new things--he is starting to act like such a big boy!

Granny & Grampa's Deck

Just still catching up on pictures from this past July....here are some of my favorites of us hanging out on the beautiful deck that Grampa(Ed) built.

I'll try to get back on track with the updates now that everything is settling down. I still have several pictures to share from Jen and Chris's visit to Illinois and Indiana. Keep on the watch for 'The many faces of Ava', 'The Tractor Show', 'Gun Safety 101', and quite a few more.

A Lot

So...last month...well, it sucked. A LOT of stuff happened. And it was all bad. Thank goodness for our health. And thank heavens for State Farm--without them, we'd be, well, even further up sh*t creek without a paddle than we are now. A huge thanks to the car dealership that didn't ask us if we wanted GAP insurance when we got our loan--but gave it to us anyway. And a big, big, big thanks to my parents for helping us out in a big way...AGAIN.

But, its now September. So we're moving on. And hoping for the best. After all we DO have new carpet (albeit at the hands of a mini-flood). I do have new (working) brakes on my car. And although we are down a car (with no hope in sight to replace it--it was, unfortunately, totaled), I did get a new fully-covered-by-insurance carseat to replace the one that we didn't like that much anyway (major kudos to it for doing its job right when we needed it); and I love getting new carseats.

Also, there are positive things in our future. Our 3rd anniversary. Jack, who isn't even 17 months yet (lol), will soon be 18 months...and that seems like a big deal. Jack is also on the precipice of being really verbal (I'll get back to that in a minute). Its almost fall (sadly, after fall, comes winter, but...)--and I LOVE fall. A lot. The trees. The smell in the air. The Covered Bridge Festival. Love it. A new season also means a new wardrobe for Jack--which is a wonderful, legitimate reason to buy him new clothes.

So I'm aiming for the positive; the hope of things to come...and trying to de-focus on what is and has been a seemingly difficult situation.

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Back to being verbal....our little Jackeroo is seriously kicking up the word skills a notch or two. New words are coming in on nearly a daily basis. And its incredibly fun to watch. The speed with which his brain is learning completely blows me away. A sponge, that's for certain. Here are a few of the words he knows well...and others that he'll repeat if you say it:

• Shoes
• Chair
• Tree
• Dog
• Duck
• What's that?
• That
• Here
• Book
• Please
• Thank You
• Done
• Down
• Sit
• Mama
• Dad
• Ball
• Poppi
• Car
• Truck
• Cow
• Here
• Okay
• Hello
• Hi
• Bye

He also has entire (pretend) phone conversations...which we have yet to understand anything other than hi and bye. But watching him learn, play, and come to understand things is by far one of the most incredible joys of raising a child. They are quite amazing at this age (and quite a handful, but, you know, we're focusing on the positives today). I am very excited to see how he progresses over the next couple months!!

Still here...

I haven't forgotten that I'm responsible for updating and maintaining our blog...just gotten a little distracted by other things. Its been a rough couple weeks, and hopefully soon, things will get back to normal. Then, perhaps, I can manage a real update or two with more pictures from the summer.

The dog...

Jake doesn't get much 'air time' these days. Once Jack came along he took his rightful place as....wait for it...the DOG. Before, he was kind of like the baby (I cried the first time I left him at the kennel...not so much these days). Despite the dramatic decline of attention...he's hanging in there.

Ava was teaching Jake where his nose, eyes, ears, and feet were (it was pretty funny).

Yeah, these are pretty much my sentiments exactly.

Jake is with us for the long haul (barring any major catastrophe), but I have to admit that when certain members of the family (who shall remain nameless for their protection lol) recently had to part ways with their canine companion--I definitely felt a twinge of jealousy for their new dog-free existence. (Sorry, Jake.....)

Ahhh...Refreshment

Jack loved drinking from his own big boy cup...only problem is that he isn't quite ready for the volume. Most of it would run out of his mouth and all over his clothes, but he'd keep doing it over and over again. It was so funny!

More Recent Interactions

Jack: Do-g
Mommy: Yes, there's the dog!
Daddy: He's saying DAD, not dog. Because daddy's #1!!!
Jack: (shakes his head)

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Earlier today, I was laying ont he couch, and Jack comes running up and kisses my cheek (you know, the way Jack kisses--opens mouth wide and then bumps his limps against your face). Then he turns his head and leans in so I could kiss his cheek. Jack isn't so big on showing affection...so when he does its extra special. It was quite sweet!!!

A Wonderful Week

Last week, Bob's sister, Jen, and her family made their annual trek to Illinois/Indiana. We had an amazing time with them. By the end of the week, we were more than tuckered out. I've been using the last few days to recover. I will get around to posting pictures soon.

Time Out Gone Awry

So, Jack usually does GREAT with time out. He knows to sit there until the timer goes off (well, most days, sometimes he turns running away from the chair into a game, but that's a different story). He actually does so great with time out that I'm not really sure it's 'time out'. He just sits in the chair, swinging his feet like its no big deal--so I have yet to determine its effectiveness.

Anyway, this particular day he found it quite entertaining. He even stood up in the chair backwards and started rocking it back and forth--I decided to ignore that behavior and praise him for staying IN the chair like I asked because after all, I guess I didn't specify. And, I totally get that you're not supposed to be interacting with them while they're serving their sentence....but I just found it too cute and funny not to snap a few shots.

Our Caveman...

...is moving up in the world. He's using new tools. Jack is starting to feed himself....with a fork and a spoon. Can't wait til he can do it efficiently.

First Taste of Ice Cream...

....was a hit! (in case you were wondering)

Recent Interactions...

Jack: (hits mommy in head with train while playing)
Mommy: "Jack, that's not nice!!" (in very stern voice)
Jack: (smacks mommy on face with his hand)
Mommy: (drags Jack to the time-out chair)

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Jack: (shakes his head)
Mommy: "Do you even know what that means?"
Jack: (shakes his head...then runs off laughing)