Wednesday, September 9, 2009
pictures to come
I am having a problem uploading my pictures to the blog. I will try again soon! Sorry
Summer comes to an end :(
What a crazy summer it has been! Jack is becoming more and more mobile everyday. We can not take our eyes off him for a second!! He has definitely mastered crawling and is scooting (crawling on his belly) and on all fours everywhere. He pulls himself up to standing on anything he can touch and will walk holding on to furniture or with a little push toy. We are just waiting patiently for him to take those first steps. When he stands on his own his little feet grip the floor so hard he can't lift them up :). He has figured out (with a little help from Daddy) how to climb stairs. When we are at our apartment we keep him in a large corral to keep him safe and away from all the wires and electronics for the TV. This also keeps him contained from the stairs. He has recently figured out how to pull the side away and "escape." He finds this hysterical and will get out, close the corral back on you and laugh from the "outside". He then crawls to either the kitchen or to the stairs. Definitely a little monkey. We have been working with him to wave hi. We swear he said "hi" as he was waving one day, over and over. Of course, when we tried to replicate it later in the day he wouldn't cooperate. If you see him from across the room and start to wave your hand, he will do the same. It is just too cute! "Dada", "DaDee" , "MaMa" and sometimes "EH (for Annie, my parents dog)" are staples to his vocabulary. He had his 9 month check up last week and weighed in at 20lbs, 11oz and 28 1/4 inches tall. He is growing like a weed!! We give him 3 meals of baby food a day with table food too. He loves bananas, mandarin oranges, crackers, bagels (frozen), yogurt, sweet potatoes, peaches, rice cakes and puffs. It is so amazing to see him working at picking up the food with his fingers and getting it in his mouth. I still can't believe this is the same little baby we brought home from the hospital. The time has gone by so fast! We are still waiting for some teeth to pop through. They are nowhere to be found!! He chomps and chomps on everything in his site, but it is all gums! I am told to enjoy the toothless grin, because soon i will miss that gummy smile!
We spent the summer getting our condo ready to rent and desperately trying to find some new tenants. Just when we were about to throw in the towel and move in ourselves (something we both were getting kind of excited about....MORE SPACE). We had a bite and have since rented it out again. I have been applying for nursing jobs in RI, but haven't had much luck, so it is better to have the place rented until I can find something. I know that we will end up back there sooner or later and until then we will make the best of where we are. The hardest part has been watching our apartment be consumed by baby stuff. We both feel bad that Jack has to be contained in such a small area and can't wait to give him more room to roam!
Even though the weather was not the greatest this summer, we made the best of it! We took many trips back and forth to RI to see our families, we introduced Jack to swimming in the pool (both at my parents and here in CT)-something he LOVED!, played in the grass, went to the Zoo and the Aquarium and just spent some quality time together as a family.
We are looking forward to some more adventures this fall including a trip to VA and of course Jack's FIRST BIRTHDAY on Thanksgiving!
We spent the summer getting our condo ready to rent and desperately trying to find some new tenants. Just when we were about to throw in the towel and move in ourselves (something we both were getting kind of excited about....MORE SPACE). We had a bite and have since rented it out again. I have been applying for nursing jobs in RI, but haven't had much luck, so it is better to have the place rented until I can find something. I know that we will end up back there sooner or later and until then we will make the best of where we are. The hardest part has been watching our apartment be consumed by baby stuff. We both feel bad that Jack has to be contained in such a small area and can't wait to give him more room to roam!
Even though the weather was not the greatest this summer, we made the best of it! We took many trips back and forth to RI to see our families, we introduced Jack to swimming in the pool (both at my parents and here in CT)-something he LOVED!, played in the grass, went to the Zoo and the Aquarium and just spent some quality time together as a family.
We are looking forward to some more adventures this fall including a trip to VA and of course Jack's FIRST BIRTHDAY on Thanksgiving!
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Tuesday Pool Day!
After working all weekend, I found that I had Monday through Thursday off and the weather was supposed to be beautiful. I packed Jack up on Tuesday and we headed to RI to get some quality pool time in! As I was driving home, I realized Tuesday is the day Laura works from home and maybe I could swing by with Jack for a little play time with her and Ella. When I got in touch with Laura, she told me how she was taking the day off and heading to her mom's to enjoy some pool time with Allie, Ava and Michael. I decided to meet them there! Jack and I had a great day playing in the pool with the other kids, having lunch and then Allie, Laura and I enjoyed some time by ourselves while the kids napped. IT WAS A PERFECT DAY! :) I love that Jack had a good opportunity to play with his cousins and it makes me so excited for next year, when he and Michael will really be able to "play" together! Our play date ended after Kiki tried to feed Jack a little perogue (he didn't like it at all) and he gagged so much over it, he made himself sick...projectile vomiting all over Kiki :(. Thankfully, she was a very good sport about it ;). We headed back to my mom's to unwind from the day (Jack needed to decompress after all the craziness with all the kids) and have a good BATH! :). We took a nice walk and Jack went off to bed. A perfect summer day!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Standing up!
I apologize for the delay in writing an update on our blog. As Jack gets more active, I seem to have less time to sit at the computer and write :). He is sure keeping us busy! Since our last post, I took him for a playdate with Nick and Jill at Roger Williams Park Zoo. It was so weird to be back at the zoo that I grew up going to and to be showing Jack around. We had a great day (overcast, but muggy) and saw a bunch of animals. The boys seemed to like it and we made it out right before a thunderstorm started! Tom and I also took him to another favorite spot from our childhood-The Crescent Park Carousel. We visited with Tom's grandmother (who lives right around the corner) and then walked over to the carousel with Gramma, Big Papi, Uncle Paul and Nana for a ride. Jack was very interested in all the music and all the decorations of the carousel...almost unsure of where to look or what to do. The first ride we all sat in a little booth together. The second ride I rode one of the horses and even caught a few rings to throw into the clowns mouth. I tried to have Jack ride with me, but couldn't get the belt to fit around us both and the carousel, although old, actually goes pretty fast. Jack loved watching me go up and down on the horse and was squealing with delight. It was a great day!
Jack is now standing up! Since he figured out how to go from his belly to sitting up he has been moving around like crazy. He quickly figured out how to pull himself up to standing. Now, he will pull himself up onto everything and anything in his path. Boy are we in trouble. When he is in his corral, he stands up and will start scooting his feet over and move his hands as well until he moves all the way around the corral. The other day, Tom got a video of him standing up in the corral, watching tv and holding on with just one hand. Next thing he knew, Jack had let go with the other hand, but didn't really realize and actually stood on his own for a few seconds! His little legs are SO STRONG! We will keep you posted on when he takes his first steps! :)
Grammy has been working with Jack to teach him how to play Pat-a-Cake and he will sometimes play with his stuff monkey George. HYSTERICAL. Too bad he is a camera nut. Everytime I get the camera out and ready to video him playing with George, he turns away from the monkey and starts hamming it up for the camera, making this silly smile (as if he is saying cheese) or just trying to attack the camera and get it into his little paws! :) I think we will have to tag team him to get a video of it! We are always working on clapping and waving. He was clapping today, all on his own, but when I prompted him later, he would not cooperate! :)
As always, the summer is crazy and goes by way too fast! I can't believe that we are at the end of July already!! Enjoy the rest of the summer!
Jack is now standing up! Since he figured out how to go from his belly to sitting up he has been moving around like crazy. He quickly figured out how to pull himself up to standing. Now, he will pull himself up onto everything and anything in his path. Boy are we in trouble. When he is in his corral, he stands up and will start scooting his feet over and move his hands as well until he moves all the way around the corral. The other day, Tom got a video of him standing up in the corral, watching tv and holding on with just one hand. Next thing he knew, Jack had let go with the other hand, but didn't really realize and actually stood on his own for a few seconds! His little legs are SO STRONG! We will keep you posted on when he takes his first steps! :)
Grammy has been working with Jack to teach him how to play Pat-a-Cake and he will sometimes play with his stuff monkey George. HYSTERICAL. Too bad he is a camera nut. Everytime I get the camera out and ready to video him playing with George, he turns away from the monkey and starts hamming it up for the camera, making this silly smile (as if he is saying cheese) or just trying to attack the camera and get it into his little paws! :) I think we will have to tag team him to get a video of it! We are always working on clapping and waving. He was clapping today, all on his own, but when I prompted him later, he would not cooperate! :)
As always, the summer is crazy and goes by way too fast! I can't believe that we are at the end of July already!! Enjoy the rest of the summer!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Summer finally arrives!
After a very looooong month of June with lots of rain, summer finally decided to arrive for the fourth of July. As is usual in the summer, we have been very busy with many trips back and forth to RI for baby showers, birthdays, graduations, etc. Since I had to work the day before and the day after the fourth of July we decided to stay in CT. We packed Jack up and spent the day with our friends Chris and Sonia. We boiled Lobsters and just relaxed. It was a great 4th. We brought Jack to see some fireworks in Waterbury and he LOVED it! The noise didn't bother him at all. Just when we thought his eyes couldn't get any bigger or wider, they did. He was trying to take in ALL the wonder of the fireworks. Last week we spent 4 days in RI on our mini vacation. We had NO PLANS, so we got to really relax and see our families with out having to rush around all day everyday. The weather was BEAUTIFUL! We bought Jack a little pool and he played and splashed and even swam (aka crawled around in the water). He loved it! I was a little overly cautious and filled it with water from the sink in the kitchen so that it was nice and warm...maybe too warm....once the sun started heating it up I had Mike bring out some COLD water to cool it off! haha :) Jack loved splashing around and loved trying to climb over the sides to get to the grass even more! :)
On Sunday night when we got home Jack was playing on the floor with Daddy and figured out how to get from his belly up to the sitting position. Later on when he was in bed, I heard him working hard to "get into trouble" and went to check on him. I found him standing up in the crib (the mattress was still in the high position). I pulled him right out and Tom took it all apart to lower the mattress before he came tumbling out! I can't believe how much he learns and changes everyday. it is so amazing! He is into everything, crawling and pulling and poking! We have a little corral to keep him contained and out of trouble in our apartment. He loves it when Daddy puts a sheet over the top and makes a fort. It is so cute to see his little hands coming up from under the sheet.
This week has brought more beautiful weather and Jack and I ventured to the pool at our apartment complex. The water was much colder than in his kiddie pool, but he loved it just the same. I have a float that I put him in and he just kicked and kicked his little legs loving every minute. He even made some "friends" with other babies and was babbling to them.
After some resistance on my part, we have started giving Jack more table food to get him used to more textures. I have been so nervous about him choking I have held off, but now realize that he will be fine and it is time! He loves to eat, but when he tries a new texture he gets this look on his face that is priceless and he starts spitting and sputtering. It is hysterical. So far he has had some banana, mandarin oranges, yogurt, pasta and veggies.
In another week and a half Jack will be 8 MONTHS OLD! I will try to update the site more often, but the summer days just seem to fly on by.
Thanks for reading our story!!
On Sunday night when we got home Jack was playing on the floor with Daddy and figured out how to get from his belly up to the sitting position. Later on when he was in bed, I heard him working hard to "get into trouble" and went to check on him. I found him standing up in the crib (the mattress was still in the high position). I pulled him right out and Tom took it all apart to lower the mattress before he came tumbling out! I can't believe how much he learns and changes everyday. it is so amazing! He is into everything, crawling and pulling and poking! We have a little corral to keep him contained and out of trouble in our apartment. He loves it when Daddy puts a sheet over the top and makes a fort. It is so cute to see his little hands coming up from under the sheet.
This week has brought more beautiful weather and Jack and I ventured to the pool at our apartment complex. The water was much colder than in his kiddie pool, but he loved it just the same. I have a float that I put him in and he just kicked and kicked his little legs loving every minute. He even made some "friends" with other babies and was babbling to them.
After some resistance on my part, we have started giving Jack more table food to get him used to more textures. I have been so nervous about him choking I have held off, but now realize that he will be fine and it is time! He loves to eat, but when he tries a new texture he gets this look on his face that is priceless and he starts spitting and sputtering. It is hysterical. So far he has had some banana, mandarin oranges, yogurt, pasta and veggies.
In another week and a half Jack will be 8 MONTHS OLD! I will try to update the site more often, but the summer days just seem to fly on by.
Thanks for reading our story!!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
BUSY BUSY BUSY Part II
To continue....On Tuesday Jack and I returned to CT after a loooong week away, unpacked and got settled back into our apartment. Boy was Daddy happy to see us!! I went back to work Wednesday. Wednesday night my dad arrived from FL to meet Jack and play for a few days. He and Jack hit it off from the start!! Jack showed off his never ending smiles and wide eyes and my dad showed him how to do "so big" with his arms and played the "trot trot to Boston" game on his knees (having Jack pretend he was riding a horse that ends up going crazy :) ). We even took a trip to Toys r us for some spoiling. Jack left with a very cute and cuddly stuffed dog that makes him break into giggles when you bring it up to his face!! We were all hoping that Grandpa brought some of that Florida sunshine with him....but New England prevailed and we were stuck inside for two days because of the rain! :( Our time together went by WAY TOO QUICKLY and I headed back to work on Saturday while Daddy brought Jack RI for the weekend and my dad headed up to Marblehead to visit with some friends and family. Daddy was busy at the condo all weekend with Uncle Dan pulling up the kitchen floor and replacing it to get it ready to rent. Gramma Mary and Auntie Cait got to hang out with Jack!!
On Sunday- Father's Day- Jack gave Daddy a special treat and slept in until 8am!! HAPPY FIRST FATHER'S DAY!! We ended up celebrating more on Monday when we were all back together in CT. It has just been SOOO CRAZY AROUND HERE!! As a treat we all packed up in the car after dinner and headed out to find Shady Glen...a restaurant people at work had been talking about with a signature cheeseburger and homemade ice cream! Just a quick trip into Manchester and we found it. It reminded Tom and I of the Newport Creamery we would both go to in Barrington as children (funny we could have been sitting at booths next to one another the whole time! ). All the waitstaff are on the inside with booths and counter top seating surrounding them. The menu is on the wall and the ice cream sundaes were amazing!! Jack even had a few little tastes....all of which brought a big smile to his face!! A great end to our day...if only it would STOP RAINING!!! On TV they reported that it has rained the last 21 of 22 days in June! INSANE!! We are anxiously waiting for summer to arrive. We can't wait to get Jack in the pool.
Anyway....more craziness to come!! Keep reading, I will try and post more often. I am going to try and add some pictures in the next few days....but my memory card is misbehaving :).
Have a good week!!
On Sunday- Father's Day- Jack gave Daddy a special treat and slept in until 8am!! HAPPY FIRST FATHER'S DAY!! We ended up celebrating more on Monday when we were all back together in CT. It has just been SOOO CRAZY AROUND HERE!! As a treat we all packed up in the car after dinner and headed out to find Shady Glen...a restaurant people at work had been talking about with a signature cheeseburger and homemade ice cream! Just a quick trip into Manchester and we found it. It reminded Tom and I of the Newport Creamery we would both go to in Barrington as children (funny we could have been sitting at booths next to one another the whole time! ). All the waitstaff are on the inside with booths and counter top seating surrounding them. The menu is on the wall and the ice cream sundaes were amazing!! Jack even had a few little tastes....all of which brought a big smile to his face!! A great end to our day...if only it would STOP RAINING!!! On TV they reported that it has rained the last 21 of 22 days in June! INSANE!! We are anxiously waiting for summer to arrive. We can't wait to get Jack in the pool.
Anyway....more craziness to come!! Keep reading, I will try and post more often. I am going to try and add some pictures in the next few days....but my memory card is misbehaving :).
Have a good week!!
Monday, June 22, 2009
BUSY BUSY BUSY!! PART I
We have been VERY busy since our last post! During the past few weeks we all travelled back to RI for a bunch of big happenings! First, we are in the process of getting our condo ready to be rented again. Our tenants have moved out and we have some work to do before it is ready to be occupied again. We have hooked back up with Melanie (a high school friend and our realtor) to help us to get some new tenants, Uncle Dan and Big Papi have been helping us with some work around the condo, including installing a new kitchen floor and we have already had one family look at it! We are hoping to get all the work done this month and have it ready to be occupied in July or August!
Second, we attended the graduation of Uncle Mike and Auntie Caity from high school. Jack's first high school graduation to attend and the first graduation that Caite and Mike were not watching from the sidelines. They have sat through MANY graduations! :) Jack and I arrived in RI on Thursday morning to attend a graduation brunch that Grammy put together for Caite, Mike and all their friends before the graduation in the afternoon. Jack got passed around to a lot of open arms and charmed everyone! :) Uncle Chris arrived Wednesday night and he was excited to see how big Jack had gotten and how active! He described him as going from a "potato with legs" to a more solid little guy! :)
On Friday morning MY Grammy and Grampy came for a visit with Jack. He showed them all of his tricks, from rolling over to eating his lunch like he had never been fed before! :) Jack has also started "crawling"! He squirms around on his forearms and knees, with his belly on the floor. He has started to pick up a lot of momentum, but hasn't figured out how to lift the belly up yet. BOY are we in trouble! He is a moving MACHINE!! On Friday night Daddy came into town after a long work week and we went to Gramma and Big Papi's to see all the family including Tom's Uncle Fred (in from Arizona!). It was a great time!!
On Saturday, DADDY TURNED 30!!! and Uncle Dan turned 28! I had put together a golf outing and BBQ to celebrate. 14 guys golfed during the day and then came to my parents' for a BBQ. I think we had about 30 family and friends attend. It was a lot of fun and the only day that the sun has come out in like 2 weeks! We did get a few raindrops in the evening, but the weather held for the golf.
Daddy went back to CT on Sunday and Jack and I continued our stay in RI. On Monday morning Grammy and I packed up the car and drove up to Marblehead to visit with some long time friends-Lyn Freeman and Ginny Von Rueden. They were so excited to finally meet Jack and get some cuddle time! We had a great lunch, a nice walk around Marblehead when the sun peeked out, and a lot of great conversations and catching up! Grammy and I feel so lucky to have kept up our friendships with them for so long and really have enjoyed getting to have our girls (+jack) lunches! :)
MORE TO COME....
Second, we attended the graduation of Uncle Mike and Auntie Caity from high school. Jack's first high school graduation to attend and the first graduation that Caite and Mike were not watching from the sidelines. They have sat through MANY graduations! :) Jack and I arrived in RI on Thursday morning to attend a graduation brunch that Grammy put together for Caite, Mike and all their friends before the graduation in the afternoon. Jack got passed around to a lot of open arms and charmed everyone! :) Uncle Chris arrived Wednesday night and he was excited to see how big Jack had gotten and how active! He described him as going from a "potato with legs" to a more solid little guy! :)
On Friday morning MY Grammy and Grampy came for a visit with Jack. He showed them all of his tricks, from rolling over to eating his lunch like he had never been fed before! :) Jack has also started "crawling"! He squirms around on his forearms and knees, with his belly on the floor. He has started to pick up a lot of momentum, but hasn't figured out how to lift the belly up yet. BOY are we in trouble! He is a moving MACHINE!! On Friday night Daddy came into town after a long work week and we went to Gramma and Big Papi's to see all the family including Tom's Uncle Fred (in from Arizona!). It was a great time!!
On Saturday, DADDY TURNED 30!!! and Uncle Dan turned 28! I had put together a golf outing and BBQ to celebrate. 14 guys golfed during the day and then came to my parents' for a BBQ. I think we had about 30 family and friends attend. It was a lot of fun and the only day that the sun has come out in like 2 weeks! We did get a few raindrops in the evening, but the weather held for the golf.
Daddy went back to CT on Sunday and Jack and I continued our stay in RI. On Monday morning Grammy and I packed up the car and drove up to Marblehead to visit with some long time friends-Lyn Freeman and Ginny Von Rueden. They were so excited to finally meet Jack and get some cuddle time! We had a great lunch, a nice walk around Marblehead when the sun peeked out, and a lot of great conversations and catching up! Grammy and I feel so lucky to have kept up our friendships with them for so long and really have enjoyed getting to have our girls (+jack) lunches! :)
MORE TO COME....
Friday, June 5, 2009
6 Month Stats
Yesterday we had Jack's 6 month check up. He was a shining star (as we knew he would be) showing off all his "tricks" to the doctor! He sat up, stood up (with some help :) ), rolled over and was grabbing at everything that came near his little hands...including the stethoscope and tongue depressor. Jack weighed in at 16 lbs, 6oz(25th %)!! He is 26 1/2inches long (50th%)! He really is growing so fast!! He had to get 3 shots :(, which he handled well and even had a smile for the doctor after it was all over. He was a little bit cranky during the day, especially if you touched his legs, but that was definitely to be expected! The doctor said that we could expect some little teeth to be coming in in the next month or so! :) Jack has been waking up some nights screaming...he seems to be easily calmed with a cold toy from the fridge and a little Tylenol. I think the teeth are working their way to the top! We also were given the go ahead to start using the stage II foods (bigger containers and lots of variety!) and even some cheerios and other table foods (in very small pieces). He has been gobbling up everything that we have given him in the past, so I am hopeful that the stage II will fill his little belly more :).
We started today with one of the stage II fruits for breakfast, a combo of bananas, grapes and plums. HE LOVED IT!! The new combinations come in more of a variety of colors too. Jack definitely prefers the orange vegetables so far (sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, peaches) and they make his nose turn orange. Hopefully with the new foods he won't "glow" so much :). I also tried giving him some cheerios on the tray of his high chair. He loved trying to pick them up, but was not crazy about the texture or taste! :) We will try them again later. I know soon they will be everywhere in my apartment and car!
That's all for now! Have a good weekend!
We started today with one of the stage II fruits for breakfast, a combo of bananas, grapes and plums. HE LOVED IT!! The new combinations come in more of a variety of colors too. Jack definitely prefers the orange vegetables so far (sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, peaches) and they make his nose turn orange. Hopefully with the new foods he won't "glow" so much :). I also tried giving him some cheerios on the tray of his high chair. He loved trying to pick them up, but was not crazy about the texture or taste! :) We will try them again later. I know soon they will be everywhere in my apartment and car!
That's all for now! Have a good weekend!
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Super Doopey Poopey :)
Playing with my new toy!
Skyping Gramma and Big Papi
Ha-I have to laugh just thinking about what I am about to write for this post!! ;) First, Jack has hit another milestone-6 months old!! I can't believe he is half a year old. The time has gone by toooo fast! He is growing like a little weed, with little rolls getting more plentiful on his thighs each week and a little belly that hangs over his diaper when he sits up. I love it. He has completely mastered rolling both ways and now is never still. We put him down and he immediately rolls and rolls to get to something he wants (usually something he can't have...aka...the wires to the tv, etc). He desperately wants to crawl and does this squirming thing to wiggle his way to what he wants. He has also started sitting up on his own and does really well. He will stay up for a few minutes at a time and usually ends up on his belly b/c something he wants ends up out of his reach and he topples over trying to reach for it. He still is enjoying his exersaucer and we are going to borrow a jumper soon for him to try!
Ok, so our big story for today is as follows....we all enjoyed a beautiful day today, taking Jack out for some errands...his first car wash experience and a lot of play time with mommy and daddy. At dinner time, I had him in the high chair and he enjoyed some peas and cereal. He gobbled them up as usual and was playing in the high chair while I checked my email. I saw and heard him start to grunt as he does when he is doing a big poop. Good thing bath time was next!! So I finished up what I was doing, and picked him up. I then felt something wet on my arm when I looked down I saw a HUGE glob of POOP all on my arm!! I held him out away from me and called for Tom as I realized the poop was squishing out of the sides of the diaper! We ran to the bathroom and in a frenzy got the baby tub ready for him! Tom (gagging ) had him standing in the tub while I cut off the onesie he was wearing and pulled off the diaper that had poop exploding from every opening. After a quick once over with a cloth to get the majority of it off, we plopped him into the baby tub and soap him all up! Finally he was clean.....the tub and the two of us were not! Everywhere we turned there seemed to be more poop! :) Needless to say it was an evening we won't soon forget! If only we had gotten some pictures to remember it by!! Jack, I am sure, will thank us one day for NOT getting it on film!
Hope this left you chuckling to yourself! Have a good week!
Ok, so our big story for today is as follows....we all enjoyed a beautiful day today, taking Jack out for some errands...his first car wash experience and a lot of play time with mommy and daddy. At dinner time, I had him in the high chair and he enjoyed some peas and cereal. He gobbled them up as usual and was playing in the high chair while I checked my email. I saw and heard him start to grunt as he does when he is doing a big poop. Good thing bath time was next!! So I finished up what I was doing, and picked him up. I then felt something wet on my arm when I looked down I saw a HUGE glob of POOP all on my arm!! I held him out away from me and called for Tom as I realized the poop was squishing out of the sides of the diaper! We ran to the bathroom and in a frenzy got the baby tub ready for him! Tom (gagging ) had him standing in the tub while I cut off the onesie he was wearing and pulled off the diaper that had poop exploding from every opening. After a quick once over with a cloth to get the majority of it off, we plopped him into the baby tub and soap him all up! Finally he was clean.....the tub and the two of us were not! Everywhere we turned there seemed to be more poop! :) Needless to say it was an evening we won't soon forget! If only we had gotten some pictures to remember it by!! Jack, I am sure, will thank us one day for NOT getting it on film!
Hope this left you chuckling to yourself! Have a good week!
Monday, May 11, 2009
OBX-Girls and Babies Weekend
This past weekend Jack and I hopped our a plane and headed down to NC to see the girls! This was Jack's first airplane ride and he did great! I am not a great flier (a little nervousness + a LOT motion sickness = not a fun time for me!). Jack was a pro. He fell asleep as soon as we took off and slept until we landed. Made my job pretty easy! We arrived in Norfolk, VA on Thursday afternoon and Colby picked us up at the airport, we picked up her daughter Sydney (age 1) and then we were off to the Outer Banks of NC. It took us about 2 hours (a great time for some catching up). We met up with Camilla and Marissa and we employed their empty hands to help us unload a SUV full of baby gear! Marissa set us up with a great condo on the beach in Kill Devil Hills. We settled in for the night with a fridge of groceries (thanks to Camilla and Marissa), two full and clean babies! On Friday, Lauren arrived just after the morning naps and we all headed down to the beach. I don't think the other girls were prepared for what it is like to go to the beach with 2 babies. Ris and Lauren did a phenomenal job setting up the beach tent, amidst the gusting winds! It was overcast, but in the 80's. A good introduction of the beach for Jack. Colby also brought a little travel swing that we put in the tent and Jack took a great nap while the girls all chatted and caught up! Friday night we stayed in and made dinner. Jack was completely mesmerized by Sydney. He loved watching her crawl and walk around. They would get real close to one another and try and figure each other out. TOO CUTE! Colby and I shared one of the bedrooms with the babies. They were great roomies and both slept through the night every night! In the mornings we would bring them into bed with us and they would snuggle together! Again, TOO CUTE! Saturday we headed down to the beach again after the morning naps...it was a little too hot, sunny and windy for the babies so we moved our party to the pool which had a lot of shade, no sand and a nice breeze. Jack and I even ventured into the pool. He loved it! I started with just his feet on the first step and eventually had him about waist deep. After his "swim" he took a nice snooze in the swing. We headed out to dinner on Saturday night to a restaurant called Goombays. Delicious fish tacos all around with more great conversations!
Sunday came too quick and we were already packing up, saying goodbye and heading out! Jack treated me to a nice snooze for mother's day and slept until 8am! He was partied out :). I am always so sad at how quick my visits with my best friends go by. We definitely try to make the best and most of all the moments we have together because we know they are not as frequent as we would like. I will give us all credit that we started to talk about planning this weekend and actually saw it through. I miss them all so much day to day. I love that we can make the time in all our busy schedules to get together. I know now how hard it will continue to be as our families get bigger and bigger.
Jack and I made it home safely and we were greeted by a very excited Daddy who missed us both VERY MUCH! We were both happy to be home and sleeping in our own beds. Daddy treated me to a very nice mother's day surprise! Tickets to see Jersey Boys in NYC in the fall. I can't wait! WHAT A NICE TREAT! I also received a beautiful bouquet of flowers from my brother Chris....what a sweetie to think of me on my FIRST MOTHER'S DAY!
A quick thank you to all the girls for their help with Jack and all his equipment all weekend, I couldn't have done it without all your support.
HAVE A GREAT WEEK!
Sunday came too quick and we were already packing up, saying goodbye and heading out! Jack treated me to a nice snooze for mother's day and slept until 8am! He was partied out :). I am always so sad at how quick my visits with my best friends go by. We definitely try to make the best and most of all the moments we have together because we know they are not as frequent as we would like. I will give us all credit that we started to talk about planning this weekend and actually saw it through. I miss them all so much day to day. I love that we can make the time in all our busy schedules to get together. I know now how hard it will continue to be as our families get bigger and bigger.
Jack and I made it home safely and we were greeted by a very excited Daddy who missed us both VERY MUCH! We were both happy to be home and sleeping in our own beds. Daddy treated me to a very nice mother's day surprise! Tickets to see Jersey Boys in NYC in the fall. I can't wait! WHAT A NICE TREAT! I also received a beautiful bouquet of flowers from my brother Chris....what a sweetie to think of me on my FIRST MOTHER'S DAY!
A quick thank you to all the girls for their help with Jack and all his equipment all weekend, I couldn't have done it without all your support.
HAVE A GREAT WEEK!
Saturday, May 2, 2009
A Day with The Cousins!
Today Laura and Allie packed up all their kids, Ava (almost 4), Ella (2 1/2) and Michael (1), and drove out to CT for a play date with Jack. Tom and I were excited to show them where we have been living for the past year. Shortly after putting Jack down for his morning nap, they arrived. The girls tried very hard to be quiet (as best as an almost 4 and 2 1/2 year old can :) ). Needless to say, when Tom went up to check on Jack he found him awake in the crib, just staring around...wondering if he was ready for the attention he was about to get! Ella and Ava were both very excited to hear that he was awake and went right up to see him and help with a diaper change. The rest of the morning went very well, with lots of playing, running, screaming, laughing and a few tears :). Ava and Ella even tried their hands at photography and were able to capture quite a few pictures on my camera and Laura's. It was so cute to watch them working the camera and see what things grabbed their eye. Ava took a couple great shots of a lamp, baby jack and even a few of me. Thankfully the weather held up and even though it was cloudy it did not rain. We packed up the kids and went to a park in South Windsor with a great playground. I had seen the playground many times during walks I took during my pregnancy, but never actually went to it. It turned out to be even better than I thought. There was a little music center, lots of swings, slides and things to climb on and it was all on different kinds of rubber, so it they were not all dusty and dirty. While we were at the park, Tom started lunch and had it all ready when we returned. The girls had a little picnic on a blanket on the floor and Michael sat happily in the Bumbo to have his mac and cheese. After lunch and a little more playing, it was time for them to pack up and go. We attempted and finally achieved a "group" photo before packing them all into the car and saying goodbye. It was such a fun day and so nice to have some family visit and show around our little bit of CT.
On another note, Jack can now roll both from back to front and front to back. He achieved the back to front roll last week (first not witnessed in the crib) and then while playing with Tom and I. Now when we put him down on the floor he wiggles all over the place and just starts rolling away. It is too funny. He has mastered all the fruits and veggies in the stage one series. We have decided that he doesn't favor the green veggies, but will tolerate them and still eat them all, it just takes him FOREVER! He loves the fruits, even the prunes and you can't get them in his mouth fast enough. We are giving him a fruit with cereal in the morning and a veggie with cereal at night. We both love watching him play and how fascinated he is by his surroundings. We put together his exersaucer and he LOVES it. He is babbling up a storm and LOVES playing peek a boo. Just about anything we do from saying a "funny" word/phrase to popping up from a hiding spot to finding his "tickle" spots starts the cutest belly laughs. They just melt your heart! We have been working on sitting up and have gotten him to do so for about 5 seconds before he starts toppling over to one side. I think that is all of his tricks so far. :)
Have a great weekend!!
On another note, Jack can now roll both from back to front and front to back. He achieved the back to front roll last week (first not witnessed in the crib) and then while playing with Tom and I. Now when we put him down on the floor he wiggles all over the place and just starts rolling away. It is too funny. He has mastered all the fruits and veggies in the stage one series. We have decided that he doesn't favor the green veggies, but will tolerate them and still eat them all, it just takes him FOREVER! He loves the fruits, even the prunes and you can't get them in his mouth fast enough. We are giving him a fruit with cereal in the morning and a veggie with cereal at night. We both love watching him play and how fascinated he is by his surroundings. We put together his exersaucer and he LOVES it. He is babbling up a storm and LOVES playing peek a boo. Just about anything we do from saying a "funny" word/phrase to popping up from a hiding spot to finding his "tickle" spots starts the cutest belly laughs. They just melt your heart! We have been working on sitting up and have gotten him to do so for about 5 seconds before he starts toppling over to one side. I think that is all of his tricks so far. :)
Have a great weekend!!
Saturday, April 18, 2009
A day at the park!
Last weekend Daddy took Jack back to RI for the weekend while I worked. It was my first overnight away from him. Even though I was very tired from work, it was still hard to be in our little apartment without my 2 favorite boys. It was so quiet. I did get a good night sleep, but I missed my boys A LOT! While in RI they went to Jack's first birthday party-for baby Michael. I hear he was passed around and around and was able to see his cousins and be loved on by all sorts of family! It was a little overwhelming for Jack to be around SO many people, so they only stayed for a little while :). Daddy and Jack then spent Easter with Gramma and Big Papi too. It was a fun weekend for them. Jack got to show off with eating his "solids" and the Easter Bunny brought him some very fun little toys too! I was SOOO happy to see them both on Sunday night when I got out of work. :)
On Friday Jack and I drove up to Bellingham, MA and had a play date with Jill and Nick. It was a beautiful day so we had lunch at a park near their house and then took the boys for a walk. It was a fun day of chatting and playing.....the one down side-I left my stroller in Jill's car. :(
Something I realized when I woke up Saturday morning. After a quick call we made plans to see each other soon so she could return it to me. I AM LOST WITH OUT IT! I use that thing EVERYDAY!! Oh well....i will make due this weekend :)
Since the warm weather has FINALLY come to NE, we decided to take advantage! Today we packed up Jack and a picnic lunch and headed to Wickham Park in Manchester. It was a beautiful day and the first day that Jack was out enjoying the sunshine (other than being in his stroller for walks). We set up a blanket with some of his toys and let him play. Daddy and I enjoyed a nice lunch and soaked up the sunshine too. Jack felt the grass on his bare feet for the first time. Not quite sure what he thinks of it. :) There was a guy at the park with a personal parasail-thing. It was a huge "kite" attached to a little seat, attached to him. We watched him for about an hour trying to "take flight". It was pretty funny, but exciting when he did briefly leave the ground. All the fresh air and sunshine tired Jack out and he took a great nap when we got home (so did Mommy:) ). This is the first weekend in a while that we all have been home with no plans. It has been so nice to just hang out and relax at home!
On Friday Jack and I drove up to Bellingham, MA and had a play date with Jill and Nick. It was a beautiful day so we had lunch at a park near their house and then took the boys for a walk. It was a fun day of chatting and playing.....the one down side-I left my stroller in Jill's car. :(
Something I realized when I woke up Saturday morning. After a quick call we made plans to see each other soon so she could return it to me. I AM LOST WITH OUT IT! I use that thing EVERYDAY!! Oh well....i will make due this weekend :)
Since the warm weather has FINALLY come to NE, we decided to take advantage! Today we packed up Jack and a picnic lunch and headed to Wickham Park in Manchester. It was a beautiful day and the first day that Jack was out enjoying the sunshine (other than being in his stroller for walks). We set up a blanket with some of his toys and let him play. Daddy and I enjoyed a nice lunch and soaked up the sunshine too. Jack felt the grass on his bare feet for the first time. Not quite sure what he thinks of it. :) There was a guy at the park with a personal parasail-thing. It was a huge "kite" attached to a little seat, attached to him. We watched him for about an hour trying to "take flight". It was pretty funny, but exciting when he did briefly leave the ground. All the fresh air and sunshine tired Jack out and he took a great nap when we got home (so did Mommy:) ). This is the first weekend in a while that we all have been home with no plans. It has been so nice to just hang out and relax at home!
Friday, April 10, 2009
Jack giggles!
Here is a little video of Jack and I playing. He has the cutest laugh when he gets going. I had gotten him laughing REALLY hard, but ran out of memory on my camera and had to try again. This is the second attempt. At first he is not going to let me have a laugh....but he eventually gets going! :)
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Vanilla Ice, Final Four and Opening Day!
While Daddy and his UCONN buddies got together to watch the final four Jack and I headed to RI. We felt this was the "safest" place for us and it gave Daddy a chance to have a guys night and participate in some shenanigans with his friends while we were away. We were able to attend the 2009 Dancing with the Senior Stars at the high school and watch Uncle Mike. This is a program where seniors that are interested ask a teacher to join them as a partner and perform a routine. There were 12 teams that competed. It was very loud and that scared Jack at first. He is just not used to being around so many people and so many screaming high school girls! :) Mike put on an amazing performance with his homeroom teacher from 9th grade (Ms. Catenzaro). They danced to compilation of Ice Ice Baby and Funk Soul Brother. Mike blew us all away with his hidden dance skills! They came in second place (even though WE felt they should have been first!). All in all Mike said it was a REALLY fun experience and he was sort of sad that it was over. Here is the link for the performance on You Tube:
On Sunday we added bananas to Jack's rice cereal and he gobbled it right up. We couldn't get the spoon in his mouth fast enough!! We also started giving him the cereal in the morning too since he likes it so much. So far so good!
Today we are getting ready to watch the Red Sox Opening Day game! It will be Jack's first Red Sox Game and we can't wait to introduce him to something we both love so much! Grammy bought him his first Red Sox hat and he even posed a little in it for us! Jack get ready to be immersed in Red Sox Nation! Jerry Remy and Don Orsillo will be voices you will soon recognize. I bet Daddy even gets you listening to WEEI in the car :).
We continue to work with Jack everyday with sitting in his Bumbo to build his back strength for sitting (eventually) and on rolling over. He is pretty good at going from belly to back and is about 80% with going from back to belly. If we hold his bink in front of him, he reaches out for it and can put it in his mouth! He is getting SOOO big! :)
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Time for rice cereal!
Yesterday we went to the doctor's for Jack's 4 month appointment. He weighed in at 12lbs, 13oz and is 24 &3/4inches long! He has reached all of the developmental milestones for this age and the doctor was very impressed by how well he was holding his head and interacting with us. He did well with the shots and so did I! I didn't even shed a tear and Jack's tears were quickly stopped with his bink and a few little songs and kisses! He was so brave :). We got the go ahead to start rice cereal and start to introduce the stage I foods (fruits and veggies). We expressed to the doctor that Jack has recently started waking up at night (usually twice, one time to eat and the other to "play"). The doctor told us that since he had previously been going through the night without needing to eat, he should still be able to do that and that he was just testing us. Well it looks like we have been falling for it! :) Since this not sleeping through the night started over the weekend while I was working, I just kept bringing him into our bed, more so that I could get back to sleep quickly. The doctor reinforced that this is exactly the time where we should be letting him cry it out to figure out for himself how to get back to sleep. Sounds like torture to me...but I know that it is the right thing to do and will only benefit all of us in the long run. Last night we put it to the test. He woke up at 1:30am and I let him cry/fuss for 10 minutes and then I gave him his bink...he was out until 3:30 where I did the same thing and he slept until almost 7am! This definitely proved to me that he is just looking for a little attention at night and is not starving or truly uncomfortable. Hopefully we can wean him off this little routine over the next week. I had gotten too used to sleeping all night :)!
Last night we also started the rice cereal. It was hysterical. At first he was totally confused, but eventually was getting more of a hang of it and actually seemed to swallow a few bites. Most of it ended up on his bib, shirt and all over his face and I am sure very little went to his belly. Tom had the video camera ready and we got some still shots too.
Over the past couple of days Jack has "found" himself in the little baby mirror that came with his jungle gym. He will stare at the baby in the mirror and just smile and smile. It is so cute. Tom captured some great shots of his face in the mirror! We are still working at getting him to roll from his back to his belly and he consistently rolls from his belly to his back now. When he is on his belly he has started "swimming" where he is moving his arms and legs like crazy....guess he is just training for his time in the pool this summer!
That is all for this week....have a great weekend!!
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Giggles
Today Jack is 4 months old! I can't believe how fast time has gone by. Over the past few weeks he has just gotten more and more interactive. He loves to play with his hands and is exploring his feet too. He puts EVERYTHING in his mouth and has started drooling like crazy. We started putting a bib on him today because his shirts have just gotten too wet during the day from the drool. When we put him down to play under his jungle gym he is grabbing and pulling at the toys with purpose. It is truly amazing to see how much he changes everyday! He rolls all the time from his belly to his back and has almost flipped the other way too. If we have him on his back under the jungle gym and he wiggles away from some of the toys, he will try reaching for the ones farther away and in doing so he is all twisted and almost able to turn from his back over to his belly.
We recently found some "tickle spots" on his chest, collar bone and little chubby thighs. It is so funny to hear him start laughing and giggling. Some times he gets going and it is as if it is coming all the way from his toes. Tom and I just have to laugh too. There is nothing cuter than a baby belly laugh! :) When we change his diaper he enjoys having Baa Baa Black Sheep, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and The Itsy Bitsy Spider sang to him. I don't know why....but he loves my singing! Probably one of the only people that does and doesn't make any comments about my being off key and tone deaf! :)
Jack spent St. Patrick's Day with Grammy while I was at work. He was dressed in a special St. Patty's Day outfit all day....complete with a shamrock on the butt! The next day Grammy K and Uncle Brendan left to meet Uncle Chris in Ireland. While Grammy K was in Ireland Gramma Mary came out to play with Jack ALL DAY so I could go to work. He was a very good boy (of course!) and they had a lot of fun together! Again, we are so lucky to have such a great and supportive family. I love that Jack gets to spend so much time with them and they all love him SOOO SOOOO much!
Next week we go back to the doctor's. I can't wait to see how much Jack weighs, I am dreading the shots and I am excited that we might get to start rice cereal!
We recently found some "tickle spots" on his chest, collar bone and little chubby thighs. It is so funny to hear him start laughing and giggling. Some times he gets going and it is as if it is coming all the way from his toes. Tom and I just have to laugh too. There is nothing cuter than a baby belly laugh! :) When we change his diaper he enjoys having Baa Baa Black Sheep, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and The Itsy Bitsy Spider sang to him. I don't know why....but he loves my singing! Probably one of the only people that does and doesn't make any comments about my being off key and tone deaf! :)
Yesterday Jack and I took a walk at a park near our house. It is a place that I spent a lot of time when I was pregnant. There is a great walking path with 3 different loops of different lengths. We walked in the sunshine for an hour and could have gone longer but we both were getting hungry :)! I am looking forward to many more walks there this spring and summer.
Jack spent St. Patrick's Day with Grammy while I was at work. He was dressed in a special St. Patty's Day outfit all day....complete with a shamrock on the butt! The next day Grammy K and Uncle Brendan left to meet Uncle Chris in Ireland. While Grammy K was in Ireland Gramma Mary came out to play with Jack ALL DAY so I could go to work. He was a very good boy (of course!) and they had a lot of fun together! Again, we are so lucky to have such a great and supportive family. I love that Jack gets to spend so much time with them and they all love him SOOO SOOOO much!
Next week we go back to the doctor's. I can't wait to see how much Jack weighs, I am dreading the shots and I am excited that we might get to start rice cereal!
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Shopping!
Today Jack and I met up with my friend Jill and her son Nick for a little outlet shopping. Nick was born in August and is now 7 months old. Jill and I always find something to chat about. It was nice to spend the day with her and Nick and chat in person, since most of our conversations go on over the phone (they live in MA about an hour and a half away). We first hung out at their house and Nick and Jack were able to "study" one another and they definitely passed some coos and giggles back and forth. It was so cute! After a lunch break we hit the stores. Both boys were VERY well behaved, snoozing in their matching strollers or just looking around at what was outside! After many purchases, including some really cute stuff for Jack from the Carter's outlet, we packed up the car and headed back to CT.
I am hoping to try and clean out my closet tomorrow. My mom took me shopping for my birthday and I need to make room for the new clothes and get rid of the stuff that REALLY doesn't fit anymore. I work this weekend, so Daddy will be in charge! I am sure he has something fun planned for him and Jack.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
SKYPE
We also have been using skype to chat with people. If you have it and want to chat send me an email or leave a comment for this blog post and we will try and hook up. We have a lap top, so we sometimes put it on the floor with Jack in the hopes that he rolls over and shows of some of his other tricks :).
Mom turns 30!
It has been awhile since our last post and I apologize. The days just seem to fly on by! Since our last post, Jack has been rolling over quite a bit, although he does get stubborn at times and will go days without doing it. It seems like he has "found" his feet. He is always putting his legs up in the air and looking at them, pulling at his pants and socks and kicking them like crazy. At night when he is in his crib sometimes you can hear this thump thump thump. It is him picking his legs up and slamming them down on the mattress. He gets cuter and cuter everyday (but I think we are biased in that assessment :) ). He is babbling and cooing tons. For some reason he LOVES when we sing that McDonald's Filet o Fish song to him. It was stuck in my head for days driving me crazy and then Daddy sang it to him while I was at work and he loved it. Now it is a running joke that will guarantee a smile when we sing it to him :). He still loves his "jungle gym" and is reaching and pulling at the toys ALL the time. When he is on his belly he is really holding up his head well and even will reach out with one arm to grab/swat at a toy. It is so amazing to see how he progresses even day to day.
Two weeks ago, Jack and Daddy took a road trip to RI to see Gramma and Big Papi while I was at work. Daddy got up with me in the morning and packed up the car and they were off. It was a great success and I know that Gramma and Big Papi were happy to have Jack for the day. It also allowed Daddy to do a little shopping for my birthday. On Sunday, Jack and Daddy made their first cake ever! When I got home from work we all celebrated and enjoyed the delicious cake. I was very impressed. Jack and Daddy gave me a beautiful Pandora bracelet with a little baby bootie charm and one with my birth stone. It was a great birthday.
Last week Jack switched up his bowel routine from going after every feeding to not going at all. A quick call to the doctor's office told us that was normal at this age, but that we could give him a little apple juice to get things going. He loved the juice and we sure opened up the flood gates. He ended up in the bath after an especially explosive poop! :)
We also started putting him in his high chair during the day. It reclines back, so he can sit comfortably and we put some toys on the tray. He loves being up at "our level" and is able to look all around at what we are doing. I love it b/c I can wash dishes, brush my teeth, put make up on, etc and I just pull him around the apartment with me and he can watch it all. I also like that it keeps him sitting after he eats, so he doesn't seem to spit up as much.
This past weekend we all travelled back to RI to celebrate my 30th birthday. Daddy put together a dinner on Saturday night with his parents and mine and my brothers and sister. We went to the 1149 and it was a great time. Lots of good food and a few glasses of wine too. Suzie was able to come from Boston to watch Jack. My Aunt Kathy joined her and they had a great time with him. He even rolled over just to show off! We all returned to my parents after dinner and enjoyed some cake and even more playing with Jack. He was the star of the show :).
The weather was amazing over the weekend (60's) so Jack went on 2 walks in his stroller. He loved it and I told him "This is what WARM weather is like....you are going to enjoy it!", and he did! Unfortunately, it snowed on Monday and it is a little colder again, but it does seem like spring is around the corner with the days being more consistently in the 40's. I can't wait for the warm weather!
Jack continues to sleep up in his nursery every night. We have established a great bedtime routine and he goes down with very little crying every night and stays down all night. It is such a blessing that he is sleeping through the night and I hope it stays that way! :) We are starting to work on putting him down for naps during the day to get into a better routine with that. He does a lot of cat naps, so it has been a little more challenging. Honestly, I really only care about him sleeping through the night! I do realize that it is important to start a nap routine though :). One thing at a time.
Two weeks ago, Jack and Daddy took a road trip to RI to see Gramma and Big Papi while I was at work. Daddy got up with me in the morning and packed up the car and they were off. It was a great success and I know that Gramma and Big Papi were happy to have Jack for the day. It also allowed Daddy to do a little shopping for my birthday. On Sunday, Jack and Daddy made their first cake ever! When I got home from work we all celebrated and enjoyed the delicious cake. I was very impressed. Jack and Daddy gave me a beautiful Pandora bracelet with a little baby bootie charm and one with my birth stone. It was a great birthday.
Last week Jack switched up his bowel routine from going after every feeding to not going at all. A quick call to the doctor's office told us that was normal at this age, but that we could give him a little apple juice to get things going. He loved the juice and we sure opened up the flood gates. He ended up in the bath after an especially explosive poop! :)
We also started putting him in his high chair during the day. It reclines back, so he can sit comfortably and we put some toys on the tray. He loves being up at "our level" and is able to look all around at what we are doing. I love it b/c I can wash dishes, brush my teeth, put make up on, etc and I just pull him around the apartment with me and he can watch it all. I also like that it keeps him sitting after he eats, so he doesn't seem to spit up as much.
This past weekend we all travelled back to RI to celebrate my 30th birthday. Daddy put together a dinner on Saturday night with his parents and mine and my brothers and sister. We went to the 1149 and it was a great time. Lots of good food and a few glasses of wine too. Suzie was able to come from Boston to watch Jack. My Aunt Kathy joined her and they had a great time with him. He even rolled over just to show off! We all returned to my parents after dinner and enjoyed some cake and even more playing with Jack. He was the star of the show :).
The weather was amazing over the weekend (60's) so Jack went on 2 walks in his stroller. He loved it and I told him "This is what WARM weather is like....you are going to enjoy it!", and he did! Unfortunately, it snowed on Monday and it is a little colder again, but it does seem like spring is around the corner with the days being more consistently in the 40's. I can't wait for the warm weather!
Jack continues to sleep up in his nursery every night. We have established a great bedtime routine and he goes down with very little crying every night and stays down all night. It is such a blessing that he is sleeping through the night and I hope it stays that way! :) We are starting to work on putting him down for naps during the day to get into a better routine with that. He does a lot of cat naps, so it has been a little more challenging. Honestly, I really only care about him sleeping through the night! I do realize that it is important to start a nap routine though :). One thing at a time.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Rock and Roll
The first pour.
CHEERS!
IT FINALLY HAPPENED! Jack rolled over!! He was playing on floor under his jungle gym and we decided to do some "tummy time". I had him on his belly and he had pushed himself up on his arms and then all of a sudden he rolled over to his back!! I was screaming with delight!! However, I knew that Daddy would be so sad that he missed the first roll. He told me just the night before; "He better not do this without me here." After the first roll, I put him back on his belly and was fumbling for the camera when he rolled over again!! So I put him back on his belly, had the camera at the ready and thankfully he cooperated and rolled ONCE more while I was filming. I called Daddy right away and told him the good news and that I had caught it all on film! When he got home, Jack the show off, rolled for Daddy too. We were all so excited!!
Tonight is also a big night for Daddy and our friend Brian...they unveiled the first bottles of the beer they brewed. Five weeks ago they started the brewing process. After waiting patiently and many nights of "research" that have lead up to tonight they finally popped the caps on the first 2 bottles. It is a vanilla stout and both are very impressed with the results. Maybe this is the start to their own brewery? :)
Monday, February 23, 2009
Crying it out....
On Sunday night we started our new bedtime routine. We have been working towards having Jack sleep in the nursery a couple of nights a week. Last week he did so well, we decided to keep him up there from now on. Usually he falls asleep in my arms while we watch TV at night and then I put him to bed. On Sunday night we put him up in the crib when he was tired, but not asleep. After a few minutes he started to cry, we had given ourselves a goal of 10 minutes before we would go up and check on him. At 7 minutes, there was silence. He made a few more peeps after that, but after just 25 minutes total he was asleep and stayed asleep all night! We were so proud of ourselves for getting through the crying. Daddy and I were silently high fiving and cheering!! Our plan is to keep up this routine all week and hopefully it will be a success and there won't be too many tears (from Jack, Daddy or Me :) ).
Meanwhile, during the day we are working a lot on tummy time and towards rolling over. Jack is able to hold his head and chest up when he is on the floor and he will lift his legs up to try and roll over. We have made it to the point where he is up on his side, but flops back to his belly. No roll overs yet. We also started sitting him in his baby bumbo chair. He doesn't really know what to think about this yet. The faces he makes are priceless! :)
Meanwhile, during the day we are working a lot on tummy time and towards rolling over. Jack is able to hold his head and chest up when he is on the floor and he will lift his legs up to try and roll over. We have made it to the point where he is up on his side, but flops back to his belly. No roll overs yet. We also started sitting him in his baby bumbo chair. He doesn't really know what to think about this yet. The faces he makes are priceless! :)
Weekend in RI
This past weekend we went to RI for a visit. Friday afternoon Jack had a play date with his cousins Ava, Michael and Ella. It was crazy! The girls (ages 3 &2) were so loud and crazy, I don't think Jack knew what to think. He was awake, but just staring around at them! Soon he and Michael (age 10 months) will be able to band together against those silly girls. We ended the day at Gramma and Big Papi's so they could play with Jack while Daddy and I went out to dinner with our friends Brian, Julie & Brian T. We went to The Mews in Wakefield and had a great time. I even had a cocktail....the first time I had one with our friends from CT. Jack had a great time at Gramma and Big Papi's and then slept the whole night!! :) Saturday we just hung out and were visited by my cousins Erica (who is expecting a boy in April) & Jamie, my Aunt Terri and my Aunt Kathy. It was a great visit. They got to see Jack awake and doing some of his "tricks", smiling, giggling and playing under his jungle gym. I was able to chat a little with Erica about things to get for her baby and what to expect for the last couple weeks of her pregnancy. Saturday night we went back to Gramma and Big Papi's and Daddy and I went in the hot tub while Auntie Cait played with Jack. It was so relaxing. I wasn't able to go in the hot tub at all last year, so it was an extra treat to get back in! :) Boy did I sleep well on Saturday night!!
Sunday we headed back to CT. It was a rainy day, a great one for naps and watching a movie! Jack is getting so big so quickly! Everyday he is more alert during the day, cooing, giggling, and making all sorts of noises. He smiles constantly! I just love looking at him!! He wakes up so happy too. I hear him stirring in the morning and when I peek into the crib he sees me and just smiles and giggles. What a great way to start the day! We have officially transitioned him to his nursery and he is doing great. He loves being able to look up at his mobile in the morning.
Sunday we headed back to CT. It was a rainy day, a great one for naps and watching a movie! Jack is getting so big so quickly! Everyday he is more alert during the day, cooing, giggling, and making all sorts of noises. He smiles constantly! I just love looking at him!! He wakes up so happy too. I hear him stirring in the morning and when I peek into the crib he sees me and just smiles and giggles. What a great way to start the day! We have officially transitioned him to his nursery and he is doing great. He loves being able to look up at his mobile in the morning.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Daddy Takes Over
This past weekend I had to work both Saturday and Sunday. Daddy was in charge! On Saturday, Valentine's Day, Gramma and Big Papi came out to CT to hang out with Jack and Daddy. They got to play all day, and he was talking up a storm with them! Daddy made me a very romantic and delicious dinner for when I got home from work. We enjoyed dinner while Jack sat in his bouncy seat to watch! I loved being surrounded by my 2 favorite valentines!
On Sunday, Daddy had Jack all by himself. They had a great day together. Jack did a lot of tummy time and almost rolled over! He gets his legs and butt up in the air first with his chest on the floor. We call it his "breaking dancing". It is hysterical. Daddy took him for a nice walk around The Pavilions too. I was so happy to be home by Sunday night. It was a very long weekend!!! Daddy has developed a nice routine with Jack and has mastered thawing and warming my milk and is now a super pro at messy diaper changes! :) Jack gave him a lot of material to work with! I think that we all are feeling more confident in how things will go while I am away at work. I knew it would be hard to leave Jack all day, but all in all I think it will be good for all of us.
Once again, thank you to everyone who sent well wishes and support about my going back to work :).
On Sunday, Daddy had Jack all by himself. They had a great day together. Jack did a lot of tummy time and almost rolled over! He gets his legs and butt up in the air first with his chest on the floor. We call it his "breaking dancing". It is hysterical. Daddy took him for a nice walk around The Pavilions too. I was so happy to be home by Sunday night. It was a very long weekend!!! Daddy has developed a nice routine with Jack and has mastered thawing and warming my milk and is now a super pro at messy diaper changes! :) Jack gave him a lot of material to work with! I think that we all are feeling more confident in how things will go while I am away at work. I knew it would be hard to leave Jack all day, but all in all I think it will be good for all of us.
Once again, thank you to everyone who sent well wishes and support about my going back to work :).
Mommy's First day back at work.
Feburary 11th, 2009
The day had finally come....I had to go back to work. I had been dreading it since I found out the actual date of return. I got everything ready the night before and made my plan for the morning. I had called my mom and we went over the plan for the day and Jack's typical day. I got up at 5am, Jack also woke up right at 5am (a perfect little boy). I fed him, pumped and then got ready for work. I had plenty of time for my coffee and to get to work without rushing. When I went to say good bye to Jack and Daddy, Jack just looked up at me from the bed with this HUGE smile on his face. I started to cry! He looked so excited to see me (and I know he was just waiting for me to jump back in bed to cuddle with him). I was able to break away and get to the car. I cried the whole drive in. I was so sad to leave Jack and miss out on his smiles all day. Once I got back to the unit I was greeted by so many people that were so excited to see me. From then on, the day flew by. My patients were really sick and they kept me very busy. Everyone was so supportive of it being my first day. They helped me to get reacquainted to the unit and routine, helped me when things were going downhill and ooohed and aahhed over my pictures. I felt so welcomed and missed, that made things so much better. Next thing I knew I was on my way home!
At home, I was greeted by Daddy at the door who told me how proud of me he was that I went back to work and had a good day! There were flowers waiting from Jack with a super sweet note too. My mom started a journal of their adventures for me to read. The best part was being able to pick up my little buddy and snuggle with him! (after a shower of course!). We had both survived and had great days. Jack had a lot of fun with Grammy, taking advantage of the beautiful weather (50's) and going on 2 walks, making us a valentine and being a very good boy all day. That made ME feel better to know that he was happy all day.
The day had finally come....I had to go back to work. I had been dreading it since I found out the actual date of return. I got everything ready the night before and made my plan for the morning. I had called my mom and we went over the plan for the day and Jack's typical day. I got up at 5am, Jack also woke up right at 5am (a perfect little boy). I fed him, pumped and then got ready for work. I had plenty of time for my coffee and to get to work without rushing. When I went to say good bye to Jack and Daddy, Jack just looked up at me from the bed with this HUGE smile on his face. I started to cry! He looked so excited to see me (and I know he was just waiting for me to jump back in bed to cuddle with him). I was able to break away and get to the car. I cried the whole drive in. I was so sad to leave Jack and miss out on his smiles all day. Once I got back to the unit I was greeted by so many people that were so excited to see me. From then on, the day flew by. My patients were really sick and they kept me very busy. Everyone was so supportive of it being my first day. They helped me to get reacquainted to the unit and routine, helped me when things were going downhill and ooohed and aahhed over my pictures. I felt so welcomed and missed, that made things so much better. Next thing I knew I was on my way home!
At home, I was greeted by Daddy at the door who told me how proud of me he was that I went back to work and had a good day! There were flowers waiting from Jack with a super sweet note too. My mom started a journal of their adventures for me to read. The best part was being able to pick up my little buddy and snuggle with him! (after a shower of course!). We had both survived and had great days. Jack had a lot of fun with Grammy, taking advantage of the beautiful weather (50's) and going on 2 walks, making us a valentine and being a very good boy all day. That made ME feel better to know that he was happy all day.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Fun over the weekend
Jack, Daddy and I had a great weekend together at home. We were blessed with a nice change in weather, where the temperature finally came above freezing to the 40's. We thought that we would be able to take Jack out for some nice walks, but the sidewalks here are still so covered in snow that we couldn't make it to our favorite neighborhood for a nice walk. We opted for a trip to the mall where we walked and walked. Jack LOVES his stroller!
Jack continues to smile more and more and has been cooing and coming up with all sorts of new sounds. He makes Daddy and I smile and laugh everyday. He has definitely found his hands and is using them more purposefully to grab at toys and just to hold them in front of his face to examine them. It really is so amazing to see all that he is able to do everyday! :)
I have been using the weekend to get myself and our family ready for when I go back to work this coming Wednesday. I am getting really anxious about leaving Jack all day and about getting back into the swing of things at work. I hope I am ready :). I reorganized the frozen milk that I have, over 80 ounces! I bought more bottles and diapers too. Daddy fed Jack a bottle today just to see how it would go. He had bottles when we were last in RI (back at the beginning of January), so it was a good trial run for Daddy to have my support and try it out again. Jack did well...but it definitely took him a little while to get a hang of the bottle again. We are going to give him one bottle on Monday and Tuesday too to get him used to it for the all day of bottles on Wednesday.
Another big step for us this weekend was moving Jack to his crib in the nursery and out of the pack and play in our room. He did great! He has been sleeping through the night for a couple weeks now, so we thought it was a good time to make the switch. He sleeps in the nursery during the day sometimes so he was used to it a little. Anyway, it went really well and we were even able to put him down while he was awake and he put himself to sleep. We are keeping our fingers crossed that this continues, but know that it could change at any moment! :)
Wish us well in our last days before I go back to work. :)
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
First Shots :(
Jack had his 2 month doctors appointment today. He is now 11lbs, 1oz! Yeah! I give myself a little pat on the back for that weight gain. The doctor said he is right on track and doing really well both physically and developmentally! My choice of this pediatric group as the right one was further reinforced by the time the doctor took to talk to us, get to know us a little and to answer all of our questions. I didn't feel like we were rushed at all! After all our questions were answered the bad part came...THE SHOTS! Jack got 3 shots, screamed and cried and I shed a few tears too. I just hated to see my little buddy crying so hard. He was easily consoled by both me and daddy. We made it home without too many more tears. I gave him a little tylenol and hopefully we will have a good afternoon.
Happy Wednesday! Jack, Daddy and I are gearing up for LOST tonight :)
Happy Wednesday! Jack, Daddy and I are gearing up for LOST tonight :)
Monday, February 2, 2009
First Road Trip
Thursday January 29th, 2009:
Grammy, Jack and I packed up the car and headed out for our first road trip down to VA to see Uncle Chris. Chris is going to Thailand for a month and we wanted to see him one more time before he left. Grammy called me the week before to see if Jack and I wanted to join her on this trip. Since I am still on my maternity leave, it was easy to pack up at the last minute and head out to VA. So Thursday morning we got up early and started out. It was a very smooth ride and Jack was a great traveller. We made 2 stops for him to eat, stretch and have a diaper change on the way down. We ended up getting to our hotel around 3pm. The ride, as always, was filled with lots of good chats and even more laughs. One laugh over Grammy's first attempt to climb into the back of the car to start to wake Jack up as we got closer to a rest area. After making the decision to climb in the back, all I saw in the rear view mirror was 2 little legs up in the air and a shoe kicking me in the shoulder, coupled with a lot of giggles. Needless to say, she did make it safely to the back :).
Once in VA, Chris met us at the hotel and we packed Jack into his stroller and walked to Georgetown for dinner. It was in the 40's and felt SO WARM TO US! How sad :). It felt so good to be out of the car, in the fresh air and to walk!!
Friday, January 30th:
We got up early and after a much needed cup of coffee we met up Chris and headed into the city. Jack experienced his first ride on the metro. Since the weather cooperated with us again (it was in the high 40's and sunny) we were able to walk from the Washington Monument all along the mall to the capital. We rounded out our DC trip by stopping at the Museum of Natural History for Jack to have lunch and then we took in all that it had to offer. What a great place!! We then regrouped back at the hotel and went out to dinner a restaurant at the Tyson's Corner Mall. Jack was so good! He happily sat in his car seat and either slept as we wheeled him around, or was just awake and taking it all in. I couldn't have asked for a better baby!! :)
Saturday, January 31st:
In the morning, we packed up the hotel room, loaded the car and headed to Chris's house. From there we met up with Camilla and her husband Jason at The Original Pancake House for breakfast. I was so excited for Camilla and Jason to get to meet Jack and for my mom to meet Jason too! :) We had a great time and with our bellies full we said good bye! We dropped Chris back off at home and started our journey back to RI. The ride home was rather uneventful. We made great time and stopped again, only 2 times for Jack to eat, stretch and get his diaper changed. During our drive through NYC we were stuck in a little bit of traffic on the George Washington Bridge. We heard Jack filling his pants and knew a stop was going to be necessary as soon as possible. When we finally made it to a rest stop we were greeted with a big mess! Grammy had come up with a great way to make the most of the car space to change his diaper, while keeping him warm. GOOD THING!! We put the back seat down (on one side, just one seat will fold down) and then we stood outside, with the door closed as much as possible while the other person held up a jacket to block out the wind :). Anyway, we made it back to RI by 9pm and quickly unpacked and headed to bed. What a long couple of days!! Daddy came home from a boys night out with friends and was so happy to see his family again! He couldn't believe how much he missed us!! We were so happy to see him too!
Sunday February 1st:
We all slept in, including Jack, and then packed up again and headed over to see Big Papi and Gramma (Tom's Parents). We had a relaxing day at their house and a great dinner before heading to a Super Bowl Party in Providence. Tom's friends were hosting a party and we wanted to stop by to show Jack off. It was a great time with lots of food and people eager to meet little Jack. We were also able to see our friends Jim and Lauren and congratulate them in person on the news that they are expecting a baby this summer!! YEAH!! We left after half time and headed back to CT (after Tom collected his winnings for the Superbowl Squares :)). I was so exhausted and happy to be home!
It was a great weekend and I was so happy to see how well Jack travelled since I know going back and forth to VA will be something we will continue to do in the very near future!
Grammy, Jack and I packed up the car and headed out for our first road trip down to VA to see Uncle Chris. Chris is going to Thailand for a month and we wanted to see him one more time before he left. Grammy called me the week before to see if Jack and I wanted to join her on this trip. Since I am still on my maternity leave, it was easy to pack up at the last minute and head out to VA. So Thursday morning we got up early and started out. It was a very smooth ride and Jack was a great traveller. We made 2 stops for him to eat, stretch and have a diaper change on the way down. We ended up getting to our hotel around 3pm. The ride, as always, was filled with lots of good chats and even more laughs. One laugh over Grammy's first attempt to climb into the back of the car to start to wake Jack up as we got closer to a rest area. After making the decision to climb in the back, all I saw in the rear view mirror was 2 little legs up in the air and a shoe kicking me in the shoulder, coupled with a lot of giggles. Needless to say, she did make it safely to the back :).
Once in VA, Chris met us at the hotel and we packed Jack into his stroller and walked to Georgetown for dinner. It was in the 40's and felt SO WARM TO US! How sad :). It felt so good to be out of the car, in the fresh air and to walk!!
Friday, January 30th:
We got up early and after a much needed cup of coffee we met up Chris and headed into the city. Jack experienced his first ride on the metro. Since the weather cooperated with us again (it was in the high 40's and sunny) we were able to walk from the Washington Monument all along the mall to the capital. We rounded out our DC trip by stopping at the Museum of Natural History for Jack to have lunch and then we took in all that it had to offer. What a great place!! We then regrouped back at the hotel and went out to dinner a restaurant at the Tyson's Corner Mall. Jack was so good! He happily sat in his car seat and either slept as we wheeled him around, or was just awake and taking it all in. I couldn't have asked for a better baby!! :)
Saturday, January 31st:
In the morning, we packed up the hotel room, loaded the car and headed to Chris's house. From there we met up with Camilla and her husband Jason at The Original Pancake House for breakfast. I was so excited for Camilla and Jason to get to meet Jack and for my mom to meet Jason too! :) We had a great time and with our bellies full we said good bye! We dropped Chris back off at home and started our journey back to RI. The ride home was rather uneventful. We made great time and stopped again, only 2 times for Jack to eat, stretch and get his diaper changed. During our drive through NYC we were stuck in a little bit of traffic on the George Washington Bridge. We heard Jack filling his pants and knew a stop was going to be necessary as soon as possible. When we finally made it to a rest stop we were greeted with a big mess! Grammy had come up with a great way to make the most of the car space to change his diaper, while keeping him warm. GOOD THING!! We put the back seat down (on one side, just one seat will fold down) and then we stood outside, with the door closed as much as possible while the other person held up a jacket to block out the wind :). Anyway, we made it back to RI by 9pm and quickly unpacked and headed to bed. What a long couple of days!! Daddy came home from a boys night out with friends and was so happy to see his family again! He couldn't believe how much he missed us!! We were so happy to see him too!
Sunday February 1st:
We all slept in, including Jack, and then packed up again and headed over to see Big Papi and Gramma (Tom's Parents). We had a relaxing day at their house and a great dinner before heading to a Super Bowl Party in Providence. Tom's friends were hosting a party and we wanted to stop by to show Jack off. It was a great time with lots of food and people eager to meet little Jack. We were also able to see our friends Jim and Lauren and congratulate them in person on the news that they are expecting a baby this summer!! YEAH!! We left after half time and headed back to CT (after Tom collected his winnings for the Superbowl Squares :)). I was so exhausted and happy to be home!
It was a great weekend and I was so happy to see how well Jack travelled since I know going back and forth to VA will be something we will continue to do in the very near future!
Friday, January 2, 2009
Welcome 2009!
I have decided to start a new blog for our little nugget Jack. The babysite was full and I have had such great feedback from my postings there that I thought I would start a new blog to continue to chronicle his achievements. So for all of our faithful readers, thank you for your continuing support and I hope you continue to enjoy reading about all of our adventures with Jack!
We have welcomed 2009 with open arms and look forward to everything that it has to offer us. We can't wait to share all of those events with all of you!
We have welcomed 2009 with open arms and look forward to everything that it has to offer us. We can't wait to share all of those events with all of you!
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