I have a THREE year old!

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!

35 months

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!

34 months and becoming a big brother

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.

33 Months

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!

31 months!

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...

Two and a half!

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

29 Months

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?

28 months

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.  :)

27 Months

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. 

26 Months

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... :)

4 - Our tree hunt

Today we got our Christmas tree!  Rob's parents recommended Hartikka's tree farm, so for the second year in row, that's where we went. We picked out our tree (a gorgeous fraser fir) and Rob cut it down while Jack was practically running circles around him...I really think that it was the prettiest tree on the whole farm. After we picked out our tree, we went for a hay ride drawn by Belgian draft horses...we were all cuddled under blankets for the ride and Jack almost fell asleep.  But he didn't, and after the ride he was able to pat the horses (they were named Batman and Robin) on their noses. That made him happy.  

~4~

Next to our tree.

Helping Daddy pull the cart. 

Jack exploring.

And I didn't forget that today is the 4th of the month...so I decided to take Jack's monthly photo even though he's beyond the two year mark. Why stop now?  Especially when he'll sit and smile for me. 

Jack's monthly picture and a VIDEO!

I haven't decided if I am going to continue with the monthly pictures now that Jack is two.  But I have put all of his monthly pictures to date into a video now that we have two years worth of them...

Enjoy!

23 Months!

As of yesterday, my little Jack is only one month from turning the big two! He's been slowly losing his babyness and growing into a very sweet little boy.  He's never been very cuddly, but lately, he's been into giving hugs. It usually happens when I get him up in the morning or up from his nap.  He holds on tight around my neck and puts is head on my shoulder and says, "hug." And if I'm really lucky, when I try to put him down he sometimes holds on even tighter and says, "more hug." He even sat on my lap this morning, leaning against me, while we watched the last half of Sesame Street.  Ahhh...I love it. :)

Here are his 23 month shots! 

22 Months (& 4 days)

Happy 22 months Jack!  Mommy loves you (and your smile) very much!  

21 Months!

Today, Jack is 21 months old.  That is only 3 months away from 2 whole years!  And I guess once he reaches that two year mark, I'll have to stop saying his age in months.  (Or not, and you all can just do the math.)  I think I will, however, continue my monthly photo session tradition with monkey. I'm not sure how that will work once he's 14 or 15, but we'll cross that bridge once we get there.  :)

Jack is really starting to up his vocabulary.  He pretty much repeats anything we say (or at least tries in his very cute, Jack way.)  I think his favorite two words to say right now are lemonade and ice. It sounds like:  yemonade iccccce repeated over and over, until of course he gets some lemonade with ice in his sippy cup.  My favorite word that he says at the moment is turtle, pronounced tur-tl-oe, in a high pitched, happy voice.

Seacoast dreamin...

Not only has Jack started walking, but we've had another first over the last couple of weeks. Rob and I got away for a whole two nights without Jack!  Yup, we dove right in.  Sure, we've gone out to dinner a few times in the last 20 months without Jack, but we've always put him to bed first and then headed out.  My parents stayed at our house for the weekend taking on all of the Jack duties...meals, play, diapers, naps, bedtime. Rob and I knew that Jack would do just dandy, I just wasn't sure how I would be when we drove away.  Turns out, I was completely fine and I really enjoyed our time away.  Of course we called a few times a day, and I did miss Jack like crazy. When we got home on Sunday, Jack was just waking up from his nap. Rob and I went upstairs to surprise him, expecting he'd be over the moon to see us. He smiled at us and promptly pointed at the door, yelling for Mimi!  Ha.  He didn't miss us at all.

We did have a fantastic two days up on the Seacoast!  We drove up Friday afternoon and our first stop was Red Hook where we sat on the patio for lunch and enjoyed a couple pints!  We thought about places to go that we normally wouldn't take Jack and we decided to head to the Wentworth by the Sea to sit on the patio overlooking the harbor, since it was such an incredible day.  We sipped wine and munched on a couple of appetizers...it was so nice.  Turns out, it would have been completely fine to take Jack there...This is a shot of the hotel from the road (taken out of the car window).  

Next we headed to the Ice House for dessert!  Moosetracks ice cream...YUM!

Next stop was the beach...It was one of those nights that only happen a couple of times a year around here.

Then we took a leisurely drive around Newcastle and Portsmouth...

View of Portsmouth from route 1B at sunset...This is definitely my favorite place in the world!

Colorful homes are all over this place! 

Market St. as seen through the windshield.

We stayed with our wonderful friends, Kara and Paul, who we had an incredible day with on Saturday...

Beachin' it at Fort Foster...

This sumac tree sort of reminds me of the lone cypress on the 17-mile drive at Pebble Beach... :)

Paul drove us around in his awesome 71' avocado green Chevelle Convertible (he's taking the picture here).  We were fortunate to have the bridge go up so we could bask in the sun with an amazing view for a few minutes!  

View of Chauncey Creek from the Chevelle.

Cruisin...

Thanks for driving us around, Paul!

Next stop...the Portsmouth Brewery...

That night the four of us met our friends, Keith and Alison, at my favorite restaurant, Jumpin' Jays.  Another YUM!  We walked back to Kara and Paul's across the Memorial Bridge to end a fantastic day...

We were home the afternoon of July 4th...Just in time to snap Jack's 20 month photo!