Tonight, Jack surprised me threefold.
1. He climbed our cat tree. It's tall so he really had to work at it. I realize this is not something to be proud of. It just surprised me is all.
2. I gave him a fork and a spoon at dinner and he used both like it was no big deal. My mother-in-law has been working with him on eating, but I had no idea he was that good! I guess it's time to offer them at every meal.
3. He drank from a straw. He did this two other times, but it was literally almost 6 months ago. He hasn't been able to do it since then. Tonight, he picked up my water cup and used the straw with no problem. He was very proud of himself and drank almost my entire cup of water.
When did my little guy get so.......old? Yikes!
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Miscellany
It's been a while since I updated, so here goes!
* Jack's sleep has improved greatly. It all started when I accidentally let him cry it out. It honestly was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. The longest he cried was the first night and that was 15 minutes and he didn't cry the whole time. Ever since then, I put him down fully awake and he falls asleep on his own! He still doesn't sleep through the night, but we are working on it. On Sunday, he slept in his crib the ENTIRE night. He woke up several times, but we were able to pat him and tell him "night night" and he would put himself back to sleep.
* I feel gross. Between nausea, terrible allergies and daily headaches, I am spent by the end of the day. I am going to bed at 8:00 most nights and I use the excuse that I am pregnant. Hey, whatever works right?
* After listening to my older sister talk about cloth diapers and doing some investigation on my own, we have decided to try cloth with the next baby. Jason still needs a bit of convincing, but his response is "Whatever you want honey". Score! I ordered just two covers to start with. A Flip pocket cover and a Thirsties pocket cover. I need to find some inserts now. I have a particular kind that I want to use, and the only place I have successfully found them is at garage sales. Guess I had better start purusing the garage sales around here.
* Jack still isn't talking much, but he is very good at imitating. If I say "head" and pat my head, he does it back. I know he can say words, he just doesn't want to. His vocabulary is good. If I ask him where the following items are, he will point to them or go and bring them to me: coat, shoes, duck, ball, ears, eyes, nose, mouth, head, feet, hands, belly, cat, cup, milk, bottle, pacifier. He can also blow kisses, wave bye-bye, and clap his hands if I ask him too. Personally, I think he is just stubborn.
* Is it too early to feel movement from this new kiddo? I am only 10 weeks, but I swear to you that I am feeling flutters in my belly. I keep trying to tell myself it's gas, but I know what gas feels like.
* Getting Jack in from outside is Hell. Seriously, he loves being outside and if I, or anyone else, try to bring him inside, he kicks, cries and pitches a fit. I guess he is just an outdoor type. He doesn't really play. He just squats down and picks up grass, rocks and sticks. He is more than content just doing that.
* I am being brave and squeezing myself into a bathing suit for the next 8 Saturdays. Jack has swim lessons! I hope he enjoys them. He looks awfully cute in his swimming attire after all. Don't you think?
Monday, June 13, 2011
All Alone
I am all alone and in a strange city. What am I going to do for the next four days without my boys, especially my Jack Jack?
Let me explain. I am in Denver, Colorado for orientation for my new job. I mentioned that I got my dream job a few weeks ago and it's finally happening. I flew in this afternoon and got settled into the hotel room (which is huge by the way - I could entertain in here). Now I sit trying to figure out what on earth I am going to do. Yes, I do have work to do, but I am free in the evenings and am actually free right now until tomorrow morning. It's 2:30. Too early for dinner, too hot to do much walking outside, and tv just seems boring.
What scares me the most is how much I am going to miss Jack. I have never left him this long. The longest I have been away from his is overnight. A full 24 hours. This is like 4 of those 24 hours. Booooo! It's going to be weird not having a toddler snuggling in bed with me at 2:00am. However, my pregnant, fat body needs some rest, so I should consider this a good thing.
Jack is happily at home with Daddy. Jason took today and tomorrow off work so he could care for Jack. Nana will be taking over on Wednesday until I get home. I worry, not because Jason can't handle it, but because Jack is definitely a momma's boy. And let's face it, Jason hasn't cared for Jack more than 2 hours at a time since he was a newborn. He is perfectly capable and he's not nervous at all. Me, being slightly OCD made lists. Lots of them. What Jack likes to eat, a rough schedule of his day, what he should pack when going to Nana's. Seriously, Jason is not a dummy. He can do it. I think the lists were more for my own peace of mind.
I bet my son won't even miss me. After all, he didn't cry when I walked away at the airport. Jason said he went down like a log at naptime. He will be just fine. Mommy? Probably not so much.
Let me explain. I am in Denver, Colorado for orientation for my new job. I mentioned that I got my dream job a few weeks ago and it's finally happening. I flew in this afternoon and got settled into the hotel room (which is huge by the way - I could entertain in here). Now I sit trying to figure out what on earth I am going to do. Yes, I do have work to do, but I am free in the evenings and am actually free right now until tomorrow morning. It's 2:30. Too early for dinner, too hot to do much walking outside, and tv just seems boring.
What scares me the most is how much I am going to miss Jack. I have never left him this long. The longest I have been away from his is overnight. A full 24 hours. This is like 4 of those 24 hours. Booooo! It's going to be weird not having a toddler snuggling in bed with me at 2:00am. However, my pregnant, fat body needs some rest, so I should consider this a good thing.
Jack is happily at home with Daddy. Jason took today and tomorrow off work so he could care for Jack. Nana will be taking over on Wednesday until I get home. I worry, not because Jason can't handle it, but because Jack is definitely a momma's boy. And let's face it, Jason hasn't cared for Jack more than 2 hours at a time since he was a newborn. He is perfectly capable and he's not nervous at all. Me, being slightly OCD made lists. Lots of them. What Jack likes to eat, a rough schedule of his day, what he should pack when going to Nana's. Seriously, Jason is not a dummy. He can do it. I think the lists were more for my own peace of mind.
I bet my son won't even miss me. After all, he didn't cry when I walked away at the airport. Jason said he went down like a log at naptime. He will be just fine. Mommy? Probably not so much.
Friday, June 10, 2011
One Baby
All week I have had this odd feeling that I am carrying twins. That feeling quickly vanished when I had my first prenatal appointment this morning. There on the screen was one blob/kidney bean/Widget measuring one day ahead! The best part was her little heartbeat of 166 bpm.
My mother-in-law came to the appointment so she got to share in my joy.
This is really starting to feel real!
Notice I call the baby a her. That is because I feel totally different this time. I do have morning sickness, but I am not full on throwing up like I did with Jack. I also have sore girls which I didn't have with Jack. I am not nearly as tired which is pretty remarkable considering I am chasing around a toddler. My bets are on girl, although Jason is convinced it's another boy. Honestly? I don't care. I just want the baby to be healthy. Admittedly, last time, I desperately wanted a boy, but this time, I honestly am not biased. I will take whatever God has planned for me.
8 weeks 3 days
My mother-in-law came to the appointment so she got to share in my joy.
This is really starting to feel real!
Notice I call the baby a her. That is because I feel totally different this time. I do have morning sickness, but I am not full on throwing up like I did with Jack. I also have sore girls which I didn't have with Jack. I am not nearly as tired which is pretty remarkable considering I am chasing around a toddler. My bets are on girl, although Jason is convinced it's another boy. Honestly? I don't care. I just want the baby to be healthy. Admittedly, last time, I desperately wanted a boy, but this time, I honestly am not biased. I will take whatever God has planned for me.
8 weeks 3 days
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
12 Minutes
That is how long Jack cried tonight. See my last post as a reference.
12 minutes is better than 15, but it still sucks.
Suckage. Big time.
12 minutes is better than 15, but it still sucks.
Suckage. Big time.
Feeling Guilty
Last night was a rough night in our house. Jack would not go to bed. I started his usual bedtime routine at the normal time and by the time his regular "down" time came, he was wide awake. I waited and waited and waited and yet, he would not go to sleep (I rock him to sleep, I know, bad mom). At 8:00, I was so sick to my stomach from not eating that I had to put him down.
I knew it wouldn't take me more than 10 minutes to make something to eat and then eat, but still, I felt guilty. I didn't want him to cry that long but I had no choice. I had to eat otherwise, I was going to throw up.
Down in his crib he went and I was right, he cried. He was not a happy camper. I ate fast to try and limit the amount of time he cried and when I finally went in to pick him up, he was red faced. Secretly, I was hoping that he wouldn't cry the entire time and would lay down and go to sleep, but who am I kidding?
I tried again to rock him to sleep and no dice. So I then took him to bed with me. 9:00 came around and once again, I was sick. I had a toddler kicking me in the stomach and needed to rest. I couldn't get comfortable in bed.
What to do?
I made the hard choice and put him back in his crib. I very gently told him that "It's time to go night-night. Mommy loves you" and then I put him down. Once again, he cried. I layed down in misery and listened to him cry. This time, he wasn't hysterical. He was just annoyed. I am not 100% certain how long he cried, but I think it was about 15 minutes. Half the time he was quiet. He would get quiet for 3 or 4 minutes and then go "waaaaaah" and then be done with it.
I don't know how long this went on because I fell asleep. Now, you need to understand that I ALWAYS wake up when he cries, so I am pretty sure he went to sleep before I did.
Why do I feel guilty? Because I said I would NEVER do cry it out. Last night, I truly had no choice and I still feel guilty. Was he going to remember in the morning? Was he going to hate me? Is he going to be afraid of his crib?
He woke up as happy as normal. Smiling and playing. I still feel bad but I know he needs to learn to self-soothe. He's 16 months and still hasn't slept through the night. With a new baby coming, I cannot have a toddler in bed with me. I remember how uncomfortable I was with my last pregnancy and the thought of having a toddler in bed with me makes me more scared.
So what to do? Tonight, as much as it kills me, I am going to rock him almost to sleep and put him down in his crib drowsy. If he cries, I will go in every 5 minutes and comfort him but not pick him up.
I know a lot of people are hating this post right now, but you need to understand, he is old enough to have established sleep patterns. I can't continue on like this much longer, and neither can my husband. This is a hard choice for many reasons, but we will try this.
I am not going to let him get hysterical. If I feel he's reaching that point, I will pick him up. I know that I will still feel guilty. I probably will for quite some time.
Will this work? I don't think it will, but at this point, it's worth a try.
Sincerely,
Tired Momma
I knew it wouldn't take me more than 10 minutes to make something to eat and then eat, but still, I felt guilty. I didn't want him to cry that long but I had no choice. I had to eat otherwise, I was going to throw up.
Down in his crib he went and I was right, he cried. He was not a happy camper. I ate fast to try and limit the amount of time he cried and when I finally went in to pick him up, he was red faced. Secretly, I was hoping that he wouldn't cry the entire time and would lay down and go to sleep, but who am I kidding?
I tried again to rock him to sleep and no dice. So I then took him to bed with me. 9:00 came around and once again, I was sick. I had a toddler kicking me in the stomach and needed to rest. I couldn't get comfortable in bed.
What to do?
I made the hard choice and put him back in his crib. I very gently told him that "It's time to go night-night. Mommy loves you" and then I put him down. Once again, he cried. I layed down in misery and listened to him cry. This time, he wasn't hysterical. He was just annoyed. I am not 100% certain how long he cried, but I think it was about 15 minutes. Half the time he was quiet. He would get quiet for 3 or 4 minutes and then go "waaaaaah" and then be done with it.
I don't know how long this went on because I fell asleep. Now, you need to understand that I ALWAYS wake up when he cries, so I am pretty sure he went to sleep before I did.
Why do I feel guilty? Because I said I would NEVER do cry it out. Last night, I truly had no choice and I still feel guilty. Was he going to remember in the morning? Was he going to hate me? Is he going to be afraid of his crib?
He woke up as happy as normal. Smiling and playing. I still feel bad but I know he needs to learn to self-soothe. He's 16 months and still hasn't slept through the night. With a new baby coming, I cannot have a toddler in bed with me. I remember how uncomfortable I was with my last pregnancy and the thought of having a toddler in bed with me makes me more scared.
So what to do? Tonight, as much as it kills me, I am going to rock him almost to sleep and put him down in his crib drowsy. If he cries, I will go in every 5 minutes and comfort him but not pick him up.
I know a lot of people are hating this post right now, but you need to understand, he is old enough to have established sleep patterns. I can't continue on like this much longer, and neither can my husband. This is a hard choice for many reasons, but we will try this.
I am not going to let him get hysterical. If I feel he's reaching that point, I will pick him up. I know that I will still feel guilty. I probably will for quite some time.
Will this work? I don't think it will, but at this point, it's worth a try.
Sincerely,
Tired Momma
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Jack is 16 Months
I am a day early with this post, but my Dad arrives for a visit from the East coast tomorrow so I know I won't get a chance to update!
Jack Emmett, hello there big boy! This month has been pretty hectic for you, but in a good way.
Here are some things that you are up to lately:
* You got to take a cross-country trip earlier this month and you did great! You were such a good boy on the airplane. So good that many people commented that they didn't even hear or notice there was a toddler nearby. The time change affected you, but other than that, you did awesome.
* This past month you have been experiencing pretty severe separation anxiety. When I would try and leave you with anyone while back East, you would scream. Even if I left the room to go to the bathroom, you did NOT want Mommy gone.
* You have two top molars. They are still coming through, but they are about halfway. The bottom ones are a bit more pesky. They are swollen and painful but I haven't seen any sign of them! Maybe soon buddy.
* Because of the travel and teething, your sleep has been a bit disrupted. Mommy will work on that.
* You aren't talking a whole lot still, but you have become more interested in pointing and saying "Dat?" at objects. That is your way of saying "What's that?". It's so cute. Sometimes you will point to the same thing over and over again. I will slowly mouth the word to see if you can repeat it and you will just stare at my mouth and grin.
* You can identify both a nose and mouth. If I ask "Where is Mommy's nose?", you point right at it! Now I just need to convince you to point to your own face!
* You are eating more and more, although you certainly have your favorites. If it's pasta, ravioli or blueberries, you are sure to eat a TON! Mommy gave you a lemon slice just to see what you would do and surprise! You LOVED it. You wanted more. Funny boy!
* Mickey Mouse Clubhouse just might be your favorite thing ever. If you hear the Hotdog song, you will come running, no matter where you are in the house.
* More and more you sit and play with toys or read books for longer periods. You still would rather climb, explore and pull things off shelves, but you will sit for up to 10 minutes at a time and just play. Especially with your Fisher Price lawnmower.
Big boy, I am not looking forward to the 13th when I have to leave you for five days. I know you will have a blast with Daddy and Nana, but I sure will miss you! Don't do too many new things while I am gone.
I love you Jack Jack.
Jack Emmett, hello there big boy! This month has been pretty hectic for you, but in a good way.
Here are some things that you are up to lately:
* You got to take a cross-country trip earlier this month and you did great! You were such a good boy on the airplane. So good that many people commented that they didn't even hear or notice there was a toddler nearby. The time change affected you, but other than that, you did awesome.
* This past month you have been experiencing pretty severe separation anxiety. When I would try and leave you with anyone while back East, you would scream. Even if I left the room to go to the bathroom, you did NOT want Mommy gone.
* You have two top molars. They are still coming through, but they are about halfway. The bottom ones are a bit more pesky. They are swollen and painful but I haven't seen any sign of them! Maybe soon buddy.
* Because of the travel and teething, your sleep has been a bit disrupted. Mommy will work on that.
* You aren't talking a whole lot still, but you have become more interested in pointing and saying "Dat?" at objects. That is your way of saying "What's that?". It's so cute. Sometimes you will point to the same thing over and over again. I will slowly mouth the word to see if you can repeat it and you will just stare at my mouth and grin.
* You can identify both a nose and mouth. If I ask "Where is Mommy's nose?", you point right at it! Now I just need to convince you to point to your own face!
* You are eating more and more, although you certainly have your favorites. If it's pasta, ravioli or blueberries, you are sure to eat a TON! Mommy gave you a lemon slice just to see what you would do and surprise! You LOVED it. You wanted more. Funny boy!
* Mickey Mouse Clubhouse just might be your favorite thing ever. If you hear the Hotdog song, you will come running, no matter where you are in the house.
* More and more you sit and play with toys or read books for longer periods. You still would rather climb, explore and pull things off shelves, but you will sit for up to 10 minutes at a time and just play. Especially with your Fisher Price lawnmower.
Big boy, I am not looking forward to the 13th when I have to leave you for five days. I know you will have a blast with Daddy and Nana, but I sure will miss you! Don't do too many new things while I am gone.
I love you Jack Jack.
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