Nap Time Notes

Word clouds

2012-01-26T10:00:00.000-05:00

How fun is this? Wordle allows you to create a word cloud and tweak the fonts, layouts and colors to your liking. The size of the font is proportional to the number of times that word is used (like the one on my sidebar). The possibilities really are endless. I created a couple with my blog as the source text. I guess I say "like" and "cookies" a lot.

I also made one with words that I entered in myself. First I just typed words that came to mind, then I went back and typed in some of the words multiple times to change the sizing. I think a personal word cloud, like this, printed out large scale on nice paper and framed would be awesome.

Holiday Snapshots

2012-01-25T15:57:00.000-05:00

Hi! Wow, it's the 25th of January. I guess it might be fitting to have a quick recap of our holiday, one month later.

Jack came down the stairs on Christmas morning and the first thing that he said was, "Is that a bell?" referring to the bell on his awesome new bike from Mimi and Papi.

Santa brought trains, tracks and a train table, just like Jack asked for. Santa thought that Jack would be over the moon (he is) about his new trains and wouldn't notice that the dolly house didn't make it down the chimney, but after quickly checking out his trains, Jack asked, "but where's my dolly house."

-sad face-

Santa is on the hunt for one and might have to make a special trip back to our house.

He got his very own camera from Uncle Bam Bam and Auntie Bonnie Bonnie. He's quite the shutterbug, just like Mommy. Here, he's taking a picture of his new ornament from Grandma. It's a squirrel holding a pumpkin to remind him of the time at the pumpkin patch with Grandma and Grandpa when a squirrel grabbed a little pumpkin for himself and ran off.

Trying out his new bike Christmas afternoon.

Wyatt hanging out in his PJs.

Four month old Wyatt next to his two week old twin cousins, Annie and Tess. He looks like such a giant next to the teeny babies.

Random Iphone Christmas shots...

1. little Wyatt feet

2. new camera

3. hanging out in a bib

4. decorating the tree

5. christmas cactus

6. reindeer butt!

7. best cake pops ever...Made by Bonnie

8. hot cocoa while watching The Polar Express

9. new ornament.

4 months

2011-12-31T19:24:00.002-05:00

Wyatt had his four month check up last week. He weighs 15 lbs 1 ounce (50%) and is 26 inches tall (80%). It's amazing to me that he's more than doubled his weight in just four months. I checked Jack's baby book and he weighed 15 lbs 10 ounces at his four month check up! Wyatt is so chubby, and squishy and he loves to smile and laugh, especially when I bounce him on my knee and sing jingle bells. He loves that song. He can roll over from his back to his stomach from either side like a champ and he's been drooling like crazy. I don't see any teeth yet, but I think they're coming. Everything that he can get hold of goes directly to his mouth, which is so different than Jack. He never put anything in his mouth, I know we were lucky to not have to worry about that with him. Wyatt's going to be a different story though. For the most part he's been sleeping well. Some nights (like last night) he's up every couple of hours and other nights he sleeps for seven hours straight. He still sleeps in our room...I am in no rush to move him to the crib. I'm not looking forward to that transition since the boys are going to share a room and I have no idea how Jack will do with his new and sometimes noisy roommate.

It's getting hard to take Wyatt's picture on the floor like this...He just wants to roll over.

Look at that chub!

It's Getting Christmassy around here

2011-12-23T21:17:00.005-05:00

I can't believe that tomorrow is Christmas Eve! Where did December go? We've been getting into the Christmas spirit slowly around here...Jack was sick with a cold and is finally over it. He and I made cookies last week and my plan was to decorate them the next day, but he woke up sick and I didn't think germy cookies would be too appetizing. I never got around to decorating them, so we've got plain, old sugar cookies...at least Jack had fun cutting them out. I did manage to make sandies (which came out especially good this year if I do say so myself. :) ) and chocolate peppermint sandwich cookies .

I confess, this is my recipe for sugar cut-out cookies:

We went to visit Santa on Monday and Jack let him know what he's hoping for (that would be a dolly house, train tracks and a train.) Just for fun, here's a link to last year's photo.

It's taken awhile, but Jack has finally caught on and wakes up in the morning asking to find Horsey. It's been fun and I think that next year, he'll be even more excited to find our little elf.

Here is our tree...

Jack had a party at his nursery school last week and the kids sang a few songs. It was a complete surprise to us that the kids would be performing, so when they lined up we realized that we should record it and I am so glad that we did...it was adorable.

(Forgive the shakiness, we'll get the hang of making home movies someday.)

In other news...Wyatt rolled over onto his stomach on Wednesday! Yay!

Ok, I am off to wrap presents.

Bokeh!

2011-12-14T13:24:00.000-05:00

I had never heard of bokeh until I started reading photography blogs a couple of years ago. I have always liked photos with pretty background blur, but never knew that this had a name and that it was so easy to achieve. This year, I tried something new and made my own bokeh shapes using this tutorial.

Vintage ornaments and stars.

Colored outdoor lights.

Of course, I had to include a couple pictures of my two sweet boys.

I am linking up here:

and here:

Snapshot of the Day

2011-12-08T10:00:00.000-05:00

Tummy Time!

Tree hunt - 2011

2011-12-04T21:01:00.001-05:00

I really don't know what I was thinking when I said I'd post every day until Christmas...Life is a little different with a new baby and a three year old, in potty training, who by the afternoon, desperately needs a nap but rarely wants to take one. It can make for a long, cameraless and computerless day. (Yes, I just made those words up).

So let's just forget about the daily posts and I'll go back to posting when I can.

So, Saturday, we made our little trek to Hartikka's Tree Farm and just like last year, it was a gorgeous day for our tree hunt! Although, it would be nice to have some snow on the ground one of these years. I think the boys would LOVE to be pulled around in a sled while we search for our tree. And we did manage to find the prettiest tree on the whole farm again. I don't know how we keep getting so lucky. :)

We did go on a wagon ride around the farm...

Here's Jack meeting the horses after our ride.

Wyatt slept for the whole ride.

Fingerpainting

2011-12-02T14:36:00.001-05:00

I bought a couple of canvases months ago when they were on sale at Michaels thinking that they'd be perfect for Jack to paint. I put them away and of course I forgot about them. Well, I came across them a few days ago and this morning Jack had a ball painting us a masterpiece.

**Like last year, I am going to attempt to post a picture every day from December 1st to Christmas Day as my Countdown to Christmas.**

Countdown to Christmas

2011-12-01T20:44:00.001-05:00

We had a little visitor at our house today. Jack named him Horsey.

He's our elf on the shelf and he'll be visiting every day to make sure Jack's been good for Santa. Jack is enthralled by him and he can't wait to find him tomorrow morning. I am looking forward to Horsey helping Jack eat his dinner, put his toys away, and use the potty. (wink, wink).

Like last year, I am going to attempt to post a picture every day from now until Christmas. It was a fun challenge last year...so we'll see if I can actually keep it up again!

3 months

2011-11-29T16:22:00.000-05:00

3 months old! Time is seriously flying by. Wyatt is getting chubbier and more adorable every day. He smiles all the time and even has the best belly laugh. His dark hair is starting to thin out and he has some bald spots, just like Jack did at this age. I am sure that he will be a little blondie in no time. He has been sleeping great. Last night I nursed him for the last time at 11 and I didn't hear from him again until 6! When he wakes up in the middle of the night, he rarely cries. He just let's me know he's hungry by making these cute little grunting sounds and he wiggles around in his bed until I scoop him up. He is still fussy in the evenings. The only thing that makes him happy when he's fussy is standing up with him. It's funny how babies like to have a little elevation.

Wyatt's happy smile...

This one cracks me up.

I am sharing here:

P.S. Happy 42nd Anniversary to my parents!

The many faces of Jack 3

2011-11-17T15:00:00.001-05:00

I've done a couple rounds of the many faces of Jack, here and here. Last night before his bath, he was being silly and I thought it would make a fun many faces post...He really makes me laugh. A lot.

And he's had enough...

Linking up to:

Where the theme is "Something fun."

Jack's party (starring Bonnie's Jungle cake)

2011-11-14T14:42:00.001-05:00

Bonnie made the most incredible jungle cake for Jack. He LOVED it. I really didn't want to cut it up into pieces, but it was worth it, because it was seriously delicious. Thank you Bonnie!

By the way, if you're in the Rhode Island area and need a cake for any special occasion, look no further...

You can contact Bonnie here:

fireflybakeryri@gmail.com

Linking up with:

Make a wish!

Jack's new drum set.

I have a THREE year old!

2011-11-04T13:22:00.000-04:00

Jack got to wear a birthday crown at school yesterday!

Jack's last night being two was a tough one...He woke up at 4 AM and did not want to go back to sleep. Usually when he wakes up in the middle of the night, we just have to go in his room and tell him everything is ok, and he goes back to sleep. Not last night...Rob brought him into our room and we tried to get him to settle down. He climbed all over us for awhile and did finally sleep between us. Wyatt was up at 2 and 6, so it was a long night. I put him down for a very early nap, so hopefully once he's up he'll be back to his old self and we'll be able to start celebrating his big day.

A very tired Jack.

I see no reason to stop taking these monthly pictures...It's been fun to look back at them and see how Jack's grown into a little boy. I'll have to put them all together like I did here at some point...stay tuned!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T17:54:00.002-04:00

Sad pumpkin

2011-10-30T10:30:00.000-04:00

October snow makes for a sad pumpkin.

2 months

2011-10-29T16:24:00.000-04:00

Wyatt has started smiling! There aren't many things better than seeing him look right at you and give you a big, happy, toothless smile.

He seems to be growing so fast. At his 2 month check up last week, he weighed 12 lbs 3 ounces and was 23 inches tall! Jack had the EXACT same measurements at his 2 month check up only Jack was technically 9 weeks old and Wyatt was only 7 weeks, 4 days old at the time. Wyatt's been sleeping pretty well at night and manages to have one 5 hour stretch most nights. During the day, he's been pretty easy and only cries if he's hungry. But for the past couple of weeks, between 8 and 11 at night, he's been incredibly fussy. When he's crying during this time, the only thing that calms him down is if we stand up and rock him. Nursing him, giving him a pacifier, changing his diaper, or cuddling don't work. I know it's just a phase and it will pass, but it's pretty trying and not fun to see him so upset. The doctor said that between 6 and 12 weeks it's normal for babies to have some form of colic and she would consider Wyatt's case pretty mild. I am just happy that once 11 o'clock rolls around, he finally nurses and then sleeps and this doesn't go on for all hours of the night.
He's been a real cuddler too...he only likes the swing if he's going to sleep which is so different than Jack. Jack was perfectly happy just hanging out, swinging away. Wyatt would much prefer being held, which I really can't complain about. :)

Snapshot of the day

2011-10-22T11:00:00.000-04:00

Bath time.

***In case you were worried...Rob was right next to Wyatt while I took this picture.

Brothers

2011-10-21T08:30:00.000-04:00

The other day, Jack humored me and let me take some pictures of him and Wyatt together. He even let me change his shirt so that he and his bother matched! A willing participant is pretty rare, so I took advantage...

35 months

2011-10-20T15:35:00.001-04:00

I know, I'm a few weeks late here, but I promise that this picture was taken on the 4th... and in the time since this was taken, I really think that Jack's had a growth spurt! Both of my boys seem to be growing like weeds, but all of a sudden Jack is a little boy and no longer a toddler. Maybe he seems bigger because in comparison to Wyatt, he is giant. I can barely carry Jack now and I've noticed that his hands look huge! Where did my little guy go? I can't believe that in a few weeks, I am going to have a THREE year old!

Wyatt is 1 month!

2011-09-30T23:32:00.001-04:00

Is that crazy or what? Do all babies grow this fast? It's amazing that in just a couple of weeks, Wyatt has become a squishy baby with chubby legs and cheeks. At his well-baby check up last week, he was already 9 lbs, 5 ounces and 21 1/2 inches long!

I am getting the hang of sleeping for a couple hours at a time at night, and Wyatt has definitely gotten the hang of nursing (if you couldn't tell). I remember that laid-back Jack would sometimes take 45 minutes or more to fill up. Wyatt is usually done in 15 minutes.

Growing Wyatt

2011-09-30T09:00:00.000-04:00

You know that I love month to month pictures...so I thought it would be fun to put together my bathroom mirror photos by month. I have to admit that I do miss being pregnant, but I wouldn't trade what I have in month 10 for anything.

Tiny Wyatt

2011-09-20T16:00:00.000-04:00

I know that the tiny, wrinkly, scrunchy faced newborn stage is over in a flash, so I really want to try to capture Wyatt and all of his newborn cuteness before he's outgrown it and moved on to the equally as cute, chubby baby phase. (and based on the amount he's been nursing, I think this will happen very quickly!) These are a few of my favorites so far.

I am sharing these here:

First day of school

2011-09-13T20:38:00.000-04:00

Jack started pre-school today!

To ease the kids (well, mostly the parents) into the routine, class was only an hour long and the parents stuck around to see their kids in action. As soon as we got there, Jack was off...he kept busy playing at the water table...

and getting to know one of his teachers over some coloring with markers.

He let his inner Picasso out and painted an awesome picture that will be hung up in our house.

Jack painted with both hands...I love how one side is yellow and the other is blue.

(yes, that's Wyatt in the car seat. He slept the entire class.)

I know that on Thursday when we drop him off, he is not going to miss us one little bit. I am so excited for him and can't wait to see what this first year of school brings him.

34 months and becoming a big brother

2011-09-11T10:05:00.000-04:00

This was a big month for Jack...you don't become a big brother everyday. He's been used to having all of my attention and I was really worried that having to share this with a tiny baby needing to be fed and changed and held was going to rock his little world...For the most part he has been great. He's very attentive to Wyatt and always gets concerned when he's crying. But for the first few days, he really had a hard time connecting with me, especially when I was holding Wyatt. It was hard to see him like this, but he's getting better. Today, he wanted to share his peanut butter sandwich with Wyatt, and I explained that he was too little and mentioned that he didn't have any teeth. This was something that he just had to see, so I brought Wyatt over and showed Jack his gummy smile. He also asked me if Wyatt eats nipples, which I thought was hilarious, but really, that must be what it looks like.

I love this picture of Jack holding Wyatt for the first time.

My first son and me.

My boys.

My niece, Maia made this crown for Jack. He was very proud to have his picture taken wearing it.

Introducing Wyatt

2011-09-10T16:31:00.000-04:00

Wyatt Duncan

Born on August 29th at 5:57 AM in Exeter, New Hampshire

7 lbs, 19 inches long.

When we decided to head to NH to get out of Irene's way, I never actually thought that Wyatt would be born there, but it turns out that things work out the way they are supposed to.

My contractions woke me up at 2AM that night and I waited about 45 minutes to wake up Rob once I was sure that it wasn't just the Braxton hicks that I'd been having for weeks. They were about 4 to 5 minutes apart at that point and I just couldn't believe that we were about to have a baby in NH! I took a shower and called my doctor who said we should get to the hospital so they could check me and let me know if there was time to drive back to RI. Kara heard us puttering around and was up when we left at 4:30. It only took about 5 minutes to get the hospital...we parked and walked into the ER where we filled out paperwork and explained our situation to the nurses. They offered me a wheelchair, but I was feeling well enough to walk. We were in our room just before 5 AM and I was hooked up to the monitor...we could hear Wyatt's little heart pounding away. The nurse checked me and I was shocked when she said that I was 4 cm and 90% effaced. There was no way we were going to make the 2 hour drive back to RI that morning.

The contractions got stronger and closer together FAST. I had to go to the bathroom and the nurse looked at me and said, whatever you do, don't push. She later told us she wasn't sure why she said that, and why she decided to stick around considering she just checked me and I was only 4cm, but she did and because she did, Wyatt was NOT born in the toilet. I somehow made it back to the bed, and Wyatt was born about a minute later. As Rob told me, the nurse yelled, I need a cart! and then there was sterile packaging flying all around the room. The nurse delivered him and the doctor arrived a few minutes later. Wyatt was perfect, with a full head of dark hair (just like Jack) and a pink complexion that I could have stared at all day.

When Rob and I started to process what just happened, we realized that we were so glad we made the decision to stay in NH. If we were home, we would have waited a while to call Bonnie and Brandon to come over to be with Jack, since I didn't feel like I was even close to having a baby. By the time they would have gotten to our house and we could have left for the hospital, Rob would have delivered Wyatt on the side of the highway since it went so fast!

Irene

2011-09-10T15:27:00.000-04:00

Image

Irene is one storm that Rob and I will never forget. We watched the weather reports constantly that week hoping that it would head out to sea. As the storm came closer, it was looking more and more like it was coming right for us...since I was 39 weeks pregnant, we were even more concerned about how it might impact us and we had visions of the worst case scenario which would be a high storm surge or downed trees that might prevent us from getting to the hospital in time or at all. We eventually got a call from the town recommending evacuation because of potential storm surge, so we played it safe and headed up to our very good friends, Kara and Paul's, house in New Hampshire. They live 5 minutes away from a hospital and we knew they could watch Jack if needed.

We had a very relaxing day while Irene rolled through...There was a ton of rain and lots of strong wind gusts, but Kara and Paul never lost power, it only flickered a few times. We debated driving home Sunday night, but decided not to since we'd be going home to no power and who knows what else. I am so glad we decided to stay...

A chat with Jack

2011-08-24T15:59:00.000-04:00

Last week before my 38 week check up, Jack and I had lunch together and this conversation...He cracks me up and apparently really loves elevators.

My check up was great...I've gained 19 lbs total and the baby's heart beat (as Jack says, ba-boom, ba-boom) sounded perfect. I can't wait to finally meet this little guy.

Summer weekends

2011-08-22T17:01:00.001-04:00

Brandon took this picture after we had brunch with him and Bonnie in Little Compton! Thanks Uncle Bam Bam!

The last few weeks we've been keeping busy enjoying the end of our summer as a family of three. One rainy Sunday, we took Jack to see Winnie the Pooh, his first movie in the theater. He sat still for the entire movie which was only a little over an hour long...perfect for a two and a half year old. He was mesmerized by the giant TV and couldn't take his eyes off of it as he ate from his little bag of popcorn.

The beach has been calling our name on warm weekends too...

Jack loves helping Rob find hermit crabs...They hit the jackpot on this day and found a gigantic one!

On a whim one rainy Sunday, we took a trip to the Mystic Aquarium. Yeah, I am not sure what we were thinking because we didn't realize that a lot of the exhibits were outside. I didn't even have a raincoat for Jack, so we quickly checked out the Beluga whales and the sea lions and then we headed inside with everyone else.

Jack meeting a jellyfish.

Jack took one look at this fish, and got on his very concerned face and said, Awww, is he sad?

He loved the sting-rays...

and the sharks.

Me, I've been full-on nesting...I woke up yesterday morning (after a horrible night sleep) and practically jumped out of bed. I think I did about 5 loads of laundry, cleaned the bathroom, made blueberry pancakes, folded and put away all of the tiny clothes and cleaned our room to make room for the baby where he'll be spending lots of time for the first few months.

You Capture - happiness

2011-08-11T18:17:00.002-04:00

Tiny newborn socks are making me happy today...

With only three weeks to go until my due date, I've been washing lots of tiny clothes that we've been storing in the basement. It's hard to believe that these actually fit Jack at one point.

Here is teeny Jack wearing them at one week old. I can't wait for baby number 2 to wear them in just a few weeks!

33 Months

2011-08-04T14:44:00.001-04:00

I completely spaced taking a monthly picture of Jack last month...oops! That may be a sign that I should end this little project, but today Jack was willing to sit there and give me some goofy smiles, so I went with it!

And along with his goofy smile, some of my favorite things about Jack at this moment are:

The way that he gives hugs. He aways snuggles in close and pats my back...he gives his toys hugs and pats on the back too, even his tiny rubber ducky that he got as a prize at his last haircut.

He asks when the baby is going to come out of my tummy and if he can play with him...he's going to be such a good big brother.

How, if I let him, he could devour an entire watermelon.

How today, at week #4 of swimming lessons, he asked me if he could float on his back, after he's been glued around my neck, screaming "no mommy" for the entire 30 minute class for the first 3 classes. Yay! We celebrated with a chocolate glazed donut after class. :)

How he loves sprinklers and how he calls the one that Pop pop gave him his special sprinkler and even insisted on taking it in the car with us when we went the Cape. He fell asleep clutching it in his little hands.

Jack and his special sprinkler...Pre-haircut!

Wordless Wednesday at the Cape

2011-08-03T15:10:00.000-04:00

sunflowers

2011-08-02T16:07:00.000-04:00

On Saturday we took a little road trip to Buttonwood Farm where they are known for their incredible field of sunflowers (over 300,000 of them!) and their homemade ice cream.

First up was a walk through the sunflower field, which was just gorgeous!

Next we joined the line for ice cream...We waited in that line for at least 30 minutes, but it was so worth it. The ice cream was amazing...It was actually our lunch!

Rob ordered the sunflower ice cream and it was seriously good...who would have thought?

Jack was all smiles with his chocolate ice cream.

And here he is back at the car for clean up! I was actually impressed with how little he got on his t-shirt this time... :)

Today, I am linking up here:

Nap time troubles in the big boy bed

2011-08-02T09:00:00.002-04:00

Jack has been sleeping in his big boy bed with no problem at night. He never gets out of it and we don't hear a peep out of him until the morning when we can usually hear him singing or chatting away to his stuffed animal friends. We do have a gate at his door, only because the stairs are right there, but he's never even tried to open his door to wander.

Nap time is a completely different story. He can be so tired and ready for a nap, but as soon as I tuck him in and close the door, I hear him get up and play or pull his books off the shelves. He does entertain himself for awhile, but I was getting tired of his crankiness in the evening if he didn't sleep during the day...The last straw was finding him asleep on the floor, which told me he obviously needs some real shut-eye, so I started putting him in the crib for naps. Each time I've done this he's slept for at least 2.5 hours! He's gone into his crib with no problem, but today he refused and he seemed extra tired, so I thought I'd try him in his bed...I could hear him playing up there for about an hour, and now it's quiet...I wonder if he made his way back the the bed, or if I'll find him on the floor again...If it's the floor, he'll be back in the crib tomorrow...

Just a random shot from our weekend adventures...

35 weeks

2011-08-01T16:30:00.000-04:00

It is starting to set in that in a few short weeks, we'll be a family of four! Last week, Rob brought up boxes of baby clothes from the basement and I sorted through them and washed the tiniest little t shirts and sleepers. It's hard to believe that Jack used to fit into them. I have a long list of things to do before the baby arrives...mostly involving laundry, organizing and cleaning (nesting anyone?), but I've also been working on a DIY crib bumper and I am planning on making a crib skirt too. The bumper is almost done and once it is, I'll share some pictures.

Over the past few weeks, I've been having lots of Braxton Hicks contractions, which I don't remember having with Jack (I've read it's normal to have more of them with second pregnancies). It's crazy how rock hard my belly gets when I have one. I've been feeling great though, just a little more tired than usual. I didn't gain any weight over the last two weeks, which doesn't make a lot of sense considering I eat a huge bowl of ice cream (with chocolate syrup) every night around 9 o'clock! (I love not feeling guilty about that at all!) I'm up to 15 pounds total...the doctor reassured me not to worry about my slow weight gain. So I am not going to, and I am going to enjoy my evening ice cream even more.

Summertime

2011-07-14T11:59:00.000-04:00

Summertime is...

sitting under the umbrella at the beach

next to the dunes

with sandy feet.

Summertime is...enjoying watermelon with pink juice running down your arms

and later, eating a popsicle with no pants on.

Big boy bed!

2011-07-12T16:08:00.001-04:00

We'd been telling Jack for awhile that soon he was going to start sleeping in a big boy bed, so it wasn't a surprise to him when we brought one home last Wednesday (it was FINALLY in stock at Ikea). He was SO excited! I'd been a little worried about how the transition would go, since I've heard some stories from friends whose kids would get up all hours of the night and get out of bed and play or wander into their parents' bedroom. I guess Jack was ready though, because that first night, we didn't hear a peep out of him until the next morning when he called for us to get him up! And as I type this, he is going on hour three of his nap, so I think he is officially done with the crib. I was actually a little sad when I realized that we wouldn't put him down in his crib anymore...very soon, though we'll have another little guy that will fill that empty bed...Have I mentioned that they are going to share their room?

He helped Rob put it together...He wanted to be involved every step of the way.

When bedtime finally came, he didn't even hesitate to climb in.

I loved being able to read his book right next to him in the bed.

All tucked in with Gobble-Gobble by his side.

Snapshot of the day

2011-06-29T15:42:00.001-04:00

He's trying hard to figure out those chopsticks while eating my leftover pad thai for lunch...

Jack's bubble machine!

2011-06-27T16:10:00.003-04:00

As promised, once Jack woke up from his nap after the potty excitement, we headed right to the store to pick up his new toy. He was so happy and couldn't wait to get home to play with it. It was raining that day, so the inaugural bubble making event was inside. He seriously loves his bubble maker...we all had so much fun that afternoon.

Enjoy this little video!

P.S. There have been two more successes on the potty since the first! YAY!

Father's Day

2011-06-24T20:55:00.000-04:00

The weather for Father's Day weekend could not have been more perfect...On Saturday, we decided to take a drive and stopped for lunch at Evelyn's, which is right on the water. We had awesome lobster rolls...They were done so simply... just big chunks of lobster, in a warm, buttered hot dog bun with a side of mayo. YUM.

Jack wasn't very interested in trying the lobster...

But he did help us eat our fries.

Next stop was Gray's ice cream, where for the first time, Jack inhaled his dish of chocolate and then he finished off Rob's maple walnut in a cone...

He couldn't get enough of it...he's finally an ice cream fan!

He used to turn it away saying, it's too cold. Mommy. Can you warm it up? Ha!

Summer!

2011-06-22T15:32:00.000-04:00

This is how Jack and I brought in the first day of summer...

Eating popsicles...

And watermelon...

(Yes, Jack ate those three pieces himself)

Potty talk

2011-06-22T14:40:00.000-04:00

Jack's been more and more interested in sitting on the potty lately. Though, that might have something to do with the animal crackers or chocolate chips that he gets if he at least takes off his diaper and sits down on it...Well anyway, a friend of mine bribed her son with a little $2 bubble machine that she bought for him once he pooped in the potty. We were at their house on Monday, and Jack LOVED this bubble machine...I told him that when he goes on the potty that I would get him one...he talked about it all day long...and would even look at me with side eyes and whisper, bubble machine, to me. I just kept telling him what he had to do to get one. Well it only took one day of waiting because last night after his bath and before I could even dry him off he went right for the potty and peed! And wait there's more! Today before his nap he asked to sit on the potty again...He sat for a few minutes and by then I just thought he was stalling to avoid his nap. He asked for a book and so we read. Midway through the third read of the same book, he started making the poop face...and he pooped in the potty!!!! He was so proud of himself and was grinning ear to ear. So after his nap, we are going straight to store to get him that bubble machine.

29 Weeks

2011-06-17T15:05:00.002-04:00

Finally got Rob to take a picture of me instead of my cheesy self-portraits in the bathroom mirror!

It's hard to believe that I am in my third trimester already! Crazy how the time is flying. My OB visits are now only two weeks apart and soon I'll be going every week. I had a visit yesterday...we listened to the heartbeat (which was strong in the 140s). Jack even helped the doctor put the gel on my belly so we could listen with the doppler. Whenever we go he always talks about hearing the ba-boom, ba-booms. The doctor said I was measuring right on schedule...so far I've gained about 12 pounds. With Jack I gained 27 in total, so I've got a ways to go. I've been feeling really good, except for some back pain which I had with Jack too. Apparently my iron level was low, so I've started taking an iron supplement and I do feel like I have more energy since starting those. The baby moves around all the time...I swear, sometimes it feels like he's doing jumping jacks in there.

The countdown is on...only eleven weeks to go!

Snapshot of the day

2011-06-17T14:36:00.001-04:00

Keeping Jack entertained while shopping has been getting harder and harder. I always have a snack for him and I try to hold off giving it to him until he is extra antsy...It always goes quickly though and yesterday I was nowhere near done once he finished his cheerios, so I gave him a little notebook and pen to scribble with while he sat in the cart. He did great and kept telling me that he was making a list (or wist, as he says).

He did so well with it, that I thought it was a brilliant idea to let him keep scribbling while we drove home...

North Carolina in pictures - The Wedding!

2011-06-13T15:19:00.000-04:00

Just before the ceremony in the hotel lobby.

Self-portrait.

Mimi and Pop-pop.

I walked with Jack over the dunes hoping that he'd find his way (like he did at the rehearsal) to Tyler (the groom).

He stopped at the very beginning of the aisle, so I did have to walk with him down the rest of the way. He did such a good job holding onto that pillow though! (and no, he didn't actually have the rings!)

Allison, the beautiful bride, and Uncle John.

These pictures were taken after the ceremony when the wedding photographer was taking his wedding party shots. Jack and Maia did such a good job standing in that sunshine!

Family shot.

I love this one of Allison...

Smooches at the reception...

Dancing with my boy!

Lauren and me.

Lauren, Sam and Maia out on the dance floor.

Jack, shirt untucked, towards the end the of the night.

It was a great wedding and a perfect vacation...We flew home the next day and managed our two flights (and 3 1/2 hour layover) without getting the car seat stuck!

North Carolina in pictures - Rehearsal

2011-06-13T14:24:00.000-04:00

Ok....back to our North Carolina trip...If I haven't mentioned it before, we were there for my cousin, Allison's wedding. Maia was the flower girl and Jack was the ring bearer. A couple of nights before the wedding, guests got together for dinner and at the restaurant there was a corn hole set up that kept Jack and Maia busy until the sun went down. They just ran back and forth with the bean bags and after awhile, their run became a slow walk as they wore themselves out...

There was also some dancing with Aunt Lauren...

Family picture at the rehearsal

At the rehearsal, Jack stood up at the front with the groom and groomsmen with no problem...he knew exactly what to do.

A me post

2011-06-09T15:39:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was my birthday. I am now 35 (what?)! How did that happen? I swear, I just turned 30 yesterday. In the five years since I turned 30, I have kept busy...let's see, it might be fun to list out all of the life altering events that have happened since then...

Bought my first house (actually, it was a condo in New Hampshire).
Quit my job of 8 years.
Sold condo.
Moved to California.
Bought a townhouse in CA with Rob.
Got new job in CA.
Got engaged.
Planned a Maine wedding from CA.
Got married.
Had a baby.
Quit job to be a stay at home Mom.
Sold townhouse.
Moved back east.
Bought a house.
And before 35 is out, I will have another baby!

I can't wait to see what's waiting around the corner in the next five years...although, 40, you can take your time getting here.

Seriously, I had a great birthday...Jack and I went to his music class and then to the park. He took a fantastic nap which always makes for a good day. Rob came home early and we met Brandon, Bonnie, Alex and Kenzie for dinner on the water for some typical New England food...(I had a lobster roll!) And then we all topped it off with chocolate cake pictured above!

31 months!

2011-06-09T14:23:00.000-04:00

Jack went to the pediatrician for his 2 1/2 year check up on Tuesday....

Here are his stats:

Weight: 30 1/2 lbs (50 %)

Height: 37 inches (80 %)

He had one shot and didn't even wince! He was only interested in his snoopy band-aid that the nurse gave him. His doctor said that she sees no reason to have a visit when he turns three since he's already met the 3 year milestones that she likes to see! (We'll also be in the office quite a bit around that time anyway for all of the new baby visits, so we'll be able to ask any Jack related questions then if needed).

Here are a few more shots from our little photo shoot...

North Carolina in pictures - Aquarium

2011-06-02T14:50:00.001-04:00

The Tuesday of the week we spent in North Carolina was cool and stormy, so we decided to skip the beach and head to the aquarium.

Jack and this puffer fish became fast friends...We stayed in this spot for about 10 minutes and the puffer fish didn't swim away the whole time.

Jack was his friendly self and waved at the fish...

I had to take a picture of this cute clown fish...I do love Nemo after all.

Jack's first encounter with a huge spiny lobster...

He was so tuckered out, he took such a good nap that afternoon.

North Carolina in pictures - The Beach

2011-06-02T14:29:00.000-04:00

Over the dunes to the beach...

The beach was gorgeous...soft sand, warm water, and lots of sunshine made for perfect lazy mornings on the beach.

I think Jack was running after a seagull in this picture...

The first day out on the beach, Jack spent so much time just digging...he loved it!

Every time Rob would start to build a castle, Jack would gleefully smash it down...

That's Sam, Mimi and Rob, in between Maia and Jack, with their toes in the water...

Jack's first friend

2011-05-27T18:26:00.000-04:00

The night before we left for North Carolina we had to say goodbye to our good friends Layna, Scott, Euan and baby Bryce. After two years here, they decided to move back home to Scotland one year before they had originally planned so they could be closer to their family and friends (which I can completely relate to after moving to CA for two and a half years). I met Layna for the first time at the library's story time when the boys were only about 5 months old. I am on the shy side, so I was so glad when Layna asked for my number, and we went for a walk the next day and never looked back. Euan was officially Jack's first friend.

Halloween 2009. I think this is the first picture I have of Euan and Jack together. And here they are - Halloween 2010.

Countless play dates, stroller walks and fun grown up nights later, we counted them among our very good friends and were so sad to see them go.

The last night we saw them before they left, we had them over for dinner and Jack and Euan played hard...

Jack had his first wrestling match.

They both giggled the whole time. Sure, they had their usual 2 year old issues with sharing, but they still had a ball.

At dinner they said "cheers!" and clinked their milk filled sippy cups.

After they ate dinner they watched a movie in their pajamas together on the couch.

We all had dessert together and Jack gave Euan a little parting gift...a baseball that said on it, To Euan, From your buddy Jack. I'll miss you.

One last hug....sort of...Jack's not very into giving out hugs. At least Euan tried.

Obviously, Jack didn't understand that it was going to be a long time before he and Euan would play together again. The three of us stood on the porch as Layna and Scott were getting the kids in the car and without any prompting, Jack yelled loudly, Good-bye Euan! That really burst the dams for the four of us adults...We can't wait to visit them in Scotland someday!

The day we delayed a flight.

2011-05-25T15:23:00.001-04:00

Oh hi! We are back from our trip to North Carolina. The week was packed full of mornings on the beach, Carolina BBQ, live bluegrass, steamed shrimp (with Old Bay seasoning), aquarium visit, family time, dinners out, and one wedding (Jack was the most adorable ring bearer)! I have TONS of pictures to sort through...here's a glimpse at how the week started out...

Jack flipped through the entire Sky Mall magazine on our flight from Providence to Charlotte. He went through page by page looking at all of the crazy stuff you never knew you needed.

Hamming it up for the camera

Here we are about to board our flight to Wilmington...

This is the same plane after we arrived in Wilmington...They like to turn these little commuter jets around FAST and the line of people standing on the tarmac in 80 degree sunshine are waiting for one last passenger to get off the plane from the previous flight...

After a very long 20 minutes, Rob (with the help of mechanics and flight attendants) finally freed Jack's car seat that was stuck! I was slightly embarrassed as I took these pictures at the gate, explaining to a couple of curious people watching with me that the technical difficulty which was delaying their flight was actually our car seat stuck in a seat. Oops.

I would have thought that there might have been some cheering when Rob finally came down the stairs, but no, it was just me clapping, everyone else was slightly annoyed at the delay. Oh well...at least we can laugh about it now (even if they aren't)!

Snapshot of the day

2011-05-11T09:59:00.000-04:00

I found Jack like this after his nap on Monday (he was fully clothed when I put him down)...

I am relieved that his diaper was still on!

Scenes from our Easter - Part 2

2011-05-10T10:00:00.002-04:00

We headed to the Cape for Easter Sunday and spent the day at Aunt Lauren's and Uncle Sammy's house. Lauren arranged for a fun egg hunt and of course since Jack knew what was going on this time, he had to open up each egg right then and there to see what treats were inside.

He's eyeing Maia's loot.

And making the move...I had to intervene on this one.

Mouth full of jelly beans....

Family shot taken by my Dad! We don't seem to have many of these...especially where we are all smiling and looking at the camera! :)

Mother's Day

2011-05-10T08:57:00.000-04:00

I loved Sunday morning. Rob got up with Jack and got him dressed while I stayed in bed for a little longer. The two of them went out to run some errands while I took a shower. I know, it doesn't sound all that exciting, but I was actually able to close the door and take my time. Normally I am yelling to Jack who's still in his crib that Mommy will be right there as I rush to rinse out the conditioner. They came home and I could hear Jack running for the stairs yelling, I have a flower! It was the cutest thing. He came upstairs and handed me a yellow rose while saying, Happy Mother's Day Mommy! He was so excited. Rob said that he didn't let go of the rose for their entire trip...he carried it to the coffee shop and the whole way home in the car.

I wish I had my camera when Jack came up the stairs...I tried to recreate it, but he wanted nothing to do with holding the flower again. Oh well!

Rob brought me a decaf latte and I opened the windows in our room (the day was gorgeous) and went back to bed while the two of them went back downstairs. I sipped my coffee and caught up on some blog reading.

Rob made stuffed french toast (challah bread stuffed with bananas and peanut butter!) and we ate outside in the sunshine.

Tulips from Rob. :)

Rob planted our flower boxes in the front of the house with pink impatients and a couple of pots of daisies for the deck.

Two and a half!

2011-05-04T16:01:00.000-04:00

Dear Jack,

It's so hard to believe that you are two and a half...Over the last couple of months, your curiosity has really taken hold and you are constantly asking questions about everything and sometimes it just cracks me and your Daddy up. You were walking down the stairs the other day and like I always do, I was walking down in front of you. You started your round of questions...

Is it a big step?

Are those balusters?

Am I a big boy?

And then you asked a question that made me laugh out loud...

Do you have eyes?

I am assuming this question just popped into your head as I was eye level with you a few steps below. I just love getting a glimpse into what is going through your little brain and it makes me happy that right now you just say whatever's on your mind. Along with your blossoming sense of curiosity, you're also becoming more independent. I can no longer open doors, twist off caps, or hold or turn the pages of the book that I am reading to you. This can be challenging (for both of us), but I know that you are just growing up and that you really are my big boy.

Love, Mommy

Scenes from our Easter - Part 1

2011-05-04T15:02:00.000-04:00

Yikes. I am a little behind on my posts...I guess I'll start with a recap of our Easter. Like last year, I made sugar cookies, but decided that instead of using different colored icing, Jack would help me decorate with sprinkles (or sprinklers, as he calls them). I put a bowl of the sprinkles and one cookie out in front of him and let him go to town.

He had so much fun and was so proud of himself that he rewarded himself with a cookie...every single time. So, after he decorated and gobbled up three, I decided that I would do the rest.

Next we dyed eggs...He LOVED this.

And here are our beautiful eggs...You can see where Jack scribbled with the wax crayon. :)

Happy Earth Day!

2011-04-22T08:55:00.004-04:00

Happy Earth Day! Did you know that most cereal box liners are made of #2 plastic (high density polyethylene)? I didn't, and I've been separating them and throwing them in the trash forever! I learned yesterday that they can be recycled with the rest of the #2 plastic we generate around here. We go through several boxes of cereal a week, so this is good to know and I thought I'd pass it along!

Egg hunting

2011-04-21T15:35:00.001-04:00

The rain held out while Jack and his friends from playgroup had an Easter egg hunt a couple of days ago.

All of the kids had blast playing once all the eggs were found.

(Check out that playhouse!)

Jack mastered the ladder...

He must have climbed it about 20 times, so that he could go down the slide! It was a fast slide and every time, he was sort of launched out the end, landing on his bum while he laughed hysterically. He never hesitated and ran around to the ladder again. I literally had to drag him away when it was time to go.

A little bit of Spring

2011-04-20T14:56:00.001-04:00

Spring seems to be taking its sweet time arriving around here. Cool, rainy days seem to be the norm this year. We have seen a few hints of the sun, now we only need the temperature to rise. These two shots remind me that even though I haven't broken out the flip flops yet, warm days will be here soon.

Forsythia on a rare sunny day.

Newly bloomed azalea blossom taken today.

Halfway!

2011-04-15T20:46:00.000-04:00

It's hard to believe that I am already 20 weeks along! Time is certainly flying by and I know once the summer starts it's going to fly by even faster. Usually, I wish for time during the summer to slow way down, but I have a feeling I am going to look forward to turning the calendar ahead for the next few months...

Snapshot of the day

2011-04-13T14:27:00.000-04:00

Camera phone shot...

After music together class this morning, Jack and I had lunch with some new friends...We went to Friendly's so we could all get some ice cream for dessert...Jack ate all of his grilled cheese and applesauce, but he didn't want anything to do with the vanilla ice cream. He had no problem eating the entire sugar cone dipped in fudge though! Oh well, that meant more ice cream for me! :)

Wordless Wednesday

2011-04-06T16:48:00.000-04:00

29 Months

2011-04-05T13:35:00.000-04:00

I think Jack might have had a growth spurt recently, because all of a sudden the sleeves on his shirts are too short and his pants are getting harder and harder to pull on. He is growing too fast...can someone hit the pause button?

It's a....

2011-04-05T10:50:00.000-04:00

Here is his profile

and his little foot.

And most importantly, he looks healthy and perfect. We can't wait to meet him!

Oh, and our osso buco with saffron risotto was delicious! Having a nice meal is the perfect way to celebrate good news!

Pink or blue?

2011-04-03T19:53:00.001-04:00

That's me at 18 weeks!

Tomorrow is the day we find out! (of course only if the baby cooperates). We've decided to have the ultrasound tech write it down and seal the news in an envelope. Rob and I are planning on making a nice dinner for ourselves (we're thinking osso buco...yum) and then we'll open the envelope (if I can wait that long!). That way, it will be just the two of us, instead of the two of us and a stranger at the doctor's office when we learn if we'll be a family with two little boys or with one of each. I can't wait to share the news with you soon!

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins

2011-04-02T10:00:00.002-04:00

I seriously have a hard time not eating all of these up myself. They are really delicious...Jack even agrees.

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Muffins

Makes 12 muffins.

1/4 cup butter at room temperature

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 cup light brown sugar

1 1/2 cup flour (I used 3/4 cup AP flour and 3/4 cup whole wheat flour to up the healthy factor)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Pinch nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg

1 cup finely shredded, unpeeled zucchini, squeezed and drained.

1/2 cup chocolate chips

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 12 cup muffin tin or use paper liners.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter, oil and sugar. Cream mixture until smooth. Sift the flour, spices, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and set aside. Add the egg to the creamed mixture and mix until incorporated. Add the sifted flour, about 1/2 cup at a time until all is incorporated and the batter is smooth.

Fold the zucchini, chocolate chips, and lemon zest into the batter.

Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 22 to 25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

This can also be done as a bread, which I haven't tried yet. Just up the baking time to 55 to 60 minutes.

Also, the second time I made this, I didn't have a lemon on hand, and they came out just as good!

These caught me eye...

2011-04-01T20:31:00.000-04:00

I just had a look through the new summer arrivals at West Elm and they have some really cute additions to their catalog...Just sayin...

How fun is this butter dish?

LOVE these mugs.

Rectangular tins

Melamine bird plates

Learning to hide the veggies

2011-04-01T20:03:00.000-04:00

I never imagined that I would have a picky eater. Rob and I have put food pretty high on the top of our list as far as things we enjoy and we've exposed Jack to all kinds of food since he's been old enough to try it. Here's a shot of Jack trying kimchi for the first time at 15 months and he LOVED it!

Now that he's almost two and a half, getting him to eat anything besides grilled cheese or peanut butter and jelly is like pulling teeth! He no longer eats his old favorites like yogurt, bananas, or even oranges! And getting him to eat vegetables, besides a very seldom bite of carrot, well, I can just forget about that. So I have been trying to find some recipes where I can sneak in some veggies. I guess I've started at baking hidden-veggie muffins. Yes, we've had muffins coming out of our ears over the last few weeks, but Rob and I have been enjoying them as snacks too. I know that this is not a replacement for the real thing, but I do feel better about offering these types of goodies to him as a snack or dessert than cookies or crackers. I am going to share a few of my favorite muffin recipes in upcoming posts. Stay tuned!

Add it to the cute list

2011-03-30T12:10:00.001-04:00

Jack is a little under the weather today. He's got a cough and stuffy nose. It's not fun to watch my normally healthy boy sniffle and sneeze. Even though he's sick, he is still sweet little Jack. Whenever he sneezes or coughs, he always says, I'm ok Mommy, in his raspy little voice. He even yells it to me if I am not in the room. It is seriously one of the cutest things ever.

No need to be worried though...Here he is hamming it up for the camera a few minutes after the picture above was taken. :)

Snapshot of the day

2011-03-22T13:11:00.000-04:00

16 weeks

2011-03-21T17:08:00.000-04:00

When I was pregnant with Jack, I didn't write anything down, and now, I am constantly trying to remember little things like when my regular pants got to be too tight, or when I felt that little flutter of movement for the first time. I really want to keep track of that stuff this time around, so I think I'll use this space to capture my pregnancy milestones...

So, as of this week, I am in maternity pants most of the time! It was such a relief to put them on...they are soooo comfortable. I remember after Jack was born and once I fit into my regular clothes, I was sad to see them go, but I really couldn't justify wearing pants with an elastic waist anymore.

I'm pretty sure that I felt a few tiny kicks for the first time last week! I really haven't felt pregnant until now, so those little nudges are a such a happy and reassuring reminder of what's going on. On Friday I had a Dr. appointment so we got to listen to the baby's heartbeat. We could hear a really fast thump, thump. thump, and then a swish. The midwife said that the baby was doing summersaults! For the 30 seconds or so that we got to listen, the baby was flipping around like crazy! I think we might be in for it with this little guy or gal. Rob and I don't remember Jack being this active, and Jack has always been so laid-back and mellow (most days). My next ultrasound is two weeks from today, so hopefully the baby will cooperate, because I am so excited to find out if Jack will have a sister or brother!

Here I am at 16 weeks...and in case you were wondering, the baby is supposedly the size of an avocado...

Goodbye Winter...

2011-03-20T18:38:00.001-04:00

Blooming crocuses greeted us in the backyard today! They were a welcome sight after our long, snow-filled winter.

I am also linking up, for the first time, to the photo challenge at Live Every Moment where the theme this week is spring!

Jack says...

2011-03-17T14:12:00.000-04:00

Yes, this picture is a few months old...but his smile is so great, that I thought you wouldn't mind...plus, it's the only one I could find of him wearing green!

This flash mob video made me smile today...Enjoy watching it and may the luck of the Irish be with you!

Snapshot of the day

2011-03-16T16:24:00.000-04:00

It rained like crazy this morning and of course it was coming down the hardest just as we headed out the door for Music Together class. We were prepared though...I'll take any excuse to break out the galoshes.

Visit to a lighthouse

2011-03-16T16:09:00.001-04:00

A few weekends ago it felt like spring was about to make its first appearance, so we decided to go on a little drive. We ended up at Beavertail State Park to check out the lighthouse. Lighthouses along with windmills are some of Jack's favorite things, so it's always fun to see his face light up when he's able to see one in person. Our plan was to stop at a windmill on the way home, but Jack was sound asleep by the time we headed in that direction.

Where ever we go, Jack always gets compliments on his hat!

Jack gets a kick out of hide and seek...

He's not the best at hiding though. When we say where's Jack?, he usually says over here!. He couldn't resist being like Daddy in this picture.

28 months

2011-03-07T16:16:00.000-05:00

I am three days late posting this, but these pictures were taken on the 4th (promise).

Jack has entered his curious phase and these questions are constantly coming out of his mouth:

what's that mommy?

what's that noise mommy?

He's a little sponge and remembers all of it...Whenever we answer him, he always repeats it back and tells us what it is next time he comes across it...He's the only two year old that I know that can point out the balusters and newel post on the staircase. I didn't even know what they were called until Rob explained them to him. And now Jack reminds me EVERY time we go up or down the stairs. :)

Just a little trim

2011-03-03T14:59:00.000-05:00

Jack got a desperately needed haircut today. There was much less drama than last time. He didn't cry at all and only had some complaining when we put the cape thing on. He didn't even flinch when the clippers and hair dryer came out. He was so adorable sitting in the chair with his little cape on. Here are his before and and after shots...

Before:

and After:

He looks like such a big boy now!

Just like his Dad...

2011-03-01T19:21:00.000-05:00

Jack came running out of the living room with his drum on his head. He was very proud of himself and thought he was so clever. Jack and I had some good belly laughs over this one...He's definitely taking after his Dad who's been known to chase me around Homegoods with a lampshade on his head. :)

Baby and blog birthday!

2011-02-22T15:30:00.004-05:00

I've sort of let this little blog get away from me.

I think this how Jack feels about his lack of internet attention lately:

I have been a little low on energy over the last couple of months since I've started to grow a person! Rob and I found out on Christmas morning that Jack is going to be a big brother!...My due date is September 2nd and we couldn't be more thrilled to be adding another little life to our family.

Here is a very hard to decipher 12 week ultrasound picture...

I am hoping that I will get back in the swing of things now that I am starting my second trimester and have most of my energy back. I was very lucky (again!) to not have any morning sickness (except for a tiny bit of queasiness in the first few weeks) and now I really feel great and I can't wait to see what the next few months bring us!

Oh, and also, it was one year ago today that I started this blog! It's been a fun little hobby that I look forward to continuing (and I promise to post more regularly)!

27 Months

2011-02-04T11:16:00.000-05:00

This month has been all about pretend play for Jack and it's been so fun to watch and listen to. Rob and I sometimes overhear Jack talking to his toys in the other room and we just melt from Jack's cuteness. Jack had a conversation with his Elmo doll at his little play table the other day. It went like this:

Hi Elmo!

Are you hungry?

Want to eat?

Is it hot?

I peaked around the corner to see Jack putting a cheerio into Elmo's mouth. He held it there for a second and then he ate it himself. Jack also has one of my old cabbage patch kid dolls. I asked him what the doll's name was and without skipping a beat, he said, "Robert." Ha! The first thing Jack did once he got his hands on the doll, was to drag my giant diaper bag into the living room and pull out the changing pad. I helped him undress the doll and he put him down on the mat and very gently cleaned his bottom with wipes from the bag. It was hysterical. Yesterday he pulled out an empty bottle of his baby wash from the recycling in the kitchen and decided that Robert needed a bath. So he was off to the bathroom where he threw him into the tub and pretended to pour soap all over him.

Clementine habit

2011-01-24T14:48:00.000-05:00

Jack LOVES oranges, especially clementines. This time of year, we always have a big bowl of them on our table. Rob and I usually have a problem finishing a big crate of them before they spoil, but with Jack and his two (at least) a day habit, we no longer have that problem.

Jack has a routine when it comes to eating his clementines...

The longest sentence he has ever spoken (8 words!) revolves around them, and he ~~says~~ squeals it every time:

"Want to pick it out of the bowl!"

He makes sure he's picked out a good one.

I peel it for him and he asks to psell (smell) it.

Then I hand it over to him and it MUST be whole without any segments missing. Once, I made the mistake of having a segment myself, and a mini tantrum followed.

He eats it quickly, and I always have to remind him to eat one piece at a time.

Post clementine happiness.

My 10 favorite shots of 2010

2011-01-06T12:13:00.000-05:00

26 Months

2011-01-04T19:50:00.000-05:00

Yup, it's the 4th of the month and I just can't quit my habit of taking Jack's monthly picture. Over the past couple of weeks, Jack has been asserting his need for independence like crazy. He needs to do everything himself. He's constantly saying, want to open it (doors, sippy cups, freezer, car door), want to get it (cheerios out of the box, books, toys from shelves), and want to do it (brush his teeth, put the tray on his highchair). I am happy that he's figuring things out and doing things on his own, but it can be messy. We just have to get him to want to pick up the cheerios and toys all over the house... :)

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T15:54:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to pop in to wish you all a very Happy New Year!

Here are a couple of shots from the other day when Jack got to try out his new sled for the first time. It was the day after the blizzard brought us all of that snow (and cold!)

My favorite Christmas shots

2010-12-30T16:49:00.001-05:00

Christmas always goes by too fast...After all the cookies have been eaten and presents have been opened, I always have just a tiny tinge of disappointment. This year was extra fun though...Jack loved opening his (and our) presents. His method was slow... He opened his presents by tearing off the tiniest pieces of paper, bit by bit, so we were able to enjoy a nice slow morning of gift opening along with coffee in hand and a fire in the fireplace. We got to do it all over again the next day with Mimi, Pop pop, and my sister and her family who braved the looming blizzard.

Jack LOVES is Radio Flyer horse from Grandma and Grandpa!

Trying out his sled from Mimi and Pop pop!

Abstract Christmas Tree.

This shot sums up our Christmas morning nicely.

Jack trying out his new rain boots.

My niece, Maia, in her princess outfit (heels and all) playing with Jack's new vacuum.

PS...We've decided to keep the kitty...His name is Oliver.

Our Christmas surprise kitty.

24 - Twas the night before Christmas

2010-12-24T23:13:00.002-05:00

Happy Christmas to all and to all a Good Night!

~24~

Jack, snug as a bug in his Christmas PJs, with Daddy for the annual reading of "The Night Before Christmas." (From Pop pop's childhood Christmas book.)

After Jack went to bed, we enjoyed gluhwein and this:

And then we did this:

23 - Santa Claus is coming town...

2010-12-23T22:38:00.000-05:00

Today was a crazy day of last minute errands, one temper tantrum, and cleaning....I am so looking forward to relaxing and enjoying the next couple of days with family and friends!

~23~

22 - James Brown

2010-12-22T16:24:00.001-05:00

Here are a couple of clips of Jack grooving to James Brown's Soulful Christmas, his favorite song of the moment.

(Please excuse the mouth full of grilled cheese.)

~22~

Kitty Update:

I posted fliers around the neighborhood and posted in the lost and found section on Craigslist...so far no calls. He really is making himself at home...he's been sleeping ALL day. Oh, and Jack was enthralled by him.

21 - House guest

2010-12-21T21:20:00.001-05:00

Tonight, just as Rob and I were about to eat dinner, we heard crying from outside our door. We opened it and there on our front step was this friendly guy. It's freezing cold outside, and the poor thing was starving so we let him in. Not knowing quite what to do with a cat, but not wanting to turn him away, (he doesn't even have a collar) we called Rob's mom for advice. In the end, Rob went out to get him some cat food which he scarfed down. Now he's going to spend the night and we'll see what happens tomorrow... we have already named him, though.

~21~

Our little visitor.

Goodnight Moon

2010-12-21T14:08:00.000-05:00

I came across this video and I had to share it. Jack LOVED watching his favorite book come to life. He was mesmerized.

20 - First Snow

2010-12-20T19:45:00.000-05:00

Even though it was just a dusting, we still bundled Jack up tonight for a short little romp in the snow. He had fun running his fingers through it and checking out his footprints in the driveway.

~20~

Brrrrr.

Checking out the snow.

Jack didn't want to take his hat off once we came inside.

That's ok. It's cute on him and he knows it.

Checking on dinner. Is it ready yet???

19 - Sandies

2010-12-19T22:10:00.000-05:00

This is my Nana's recipe for finger cookies, also known as Sandies. They are so simple and delicious!

~19~

Sandies

Makes about 2 ½ dozen

1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened

1/3 cup sugar

2 tsp water

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

1 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts)

Confectioners’ sugar to coat

Cream butter and sugar. Add water and vanilla. Mix well. Mix in flour and nuts. Chill dough for 3 hours. Shape into desired shape (ball, crescent, log). Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 325degrees for 20 minutes. Cool slightly. While still a little warm, roll in powdered sugar.

18 - Family Portrait

2010-12-18T16:37:00.000-05:00

~18~

Family Portrait.

17 - Visit with Santa

2010-12-17T19:35:00.000-05:00

I guess Friday morning is the perfect time to visit Santa at the mall. There was no line at all, so we just plunked Jack right on his lap. I wasn't sure how he'd handle it...we've all seen the hilarious pictures of toddlers clawing their way away from the scary guy in the red suit, but Jack didn't mind at all. To be honest, I was a little (a very little) disappointed that we won't have that story to tell. But we do have a picture of a very smiley Jack with Santa, so I will happily take that.

~17~

Jack's first visit with Santa.

16 - My favorite flower

2010-12-16T19:56:00.000-05:00

I am finally starting to feel like myself after this awful sinus infection. Yay! It's so nice to be back in the land of the living! Jack and I actually got out and did some major Christmas shopping this morning. Jack always attracts so much attention when we're out. He's so content sitting in the shopping cart, flirting with little girls, singing songs, and saying hi to everyone.

~16~

Rob came home with flowers a couple of nights ago to cheer me up.

15 - Candy dish

2010-12-15T15:10:00.001-05:00

~15~

Mint M&Ms. Yum.

14 - Flashback

2010-12-14T18:21:00.001-05:00

~14~

Jack's first Christmas - 2008, Thousand Oaks, CA.

13 - DIY Wreath

2010-12-13T14:30:00.003-05:00

Even though I've been sick all week and I've barely left the house, I did manage to finish a little project that I had going on. I worked on it after Jack was in bed (Rob even helped a little). I saw this a few weeks ago, and I thought I'd give it a try. It involved lots of yarn and way more pom poms than I ever thought that I would need. I am really happy with how it turned out though...

~13~

My pom pom wreath.

12 - Unser kleiner Junge

2010-12-12T20:48:00.000-05:00

Today Jack kept a tradition alive...he tried on Lederhosen that Rob's parents bought in Nuremberg in 1975. They were living in Ansbach, Germany at the time when they bought them for Brandon. At one point Rob, then Alex wore them and now it's Jack's turn.

~12~

Look at those knees!!!

11 - Fresh Air

2010-12-11T20:27:00.000-05:00

This morning we finally got out of the house! It warmed up enough to head to the park. Jack was so excited to have a chance to run around, and for me, I was just happy to be out in the fresh air.

~11~

Wheeeee!

Walking in a winter wonderland (minus the snow).

Shoulders.