Falling Asleep

Jack usually falls asleep pretty well on his own. This is due, in large part, to his bedtime rituals. I'm a big believer in routines for children and can attest to how tremendously helpful they are with getting Jack to sleep at night. Once Jack is in his crib for the night, however, he can sometimes take up to 45 minutes to actually fall asleep. Most of the time he is just playing in his crib. Sometimes, he drags it out by asking for drinks or by fake crying. Luckily, I have recently discovered a new trick. If he seems to be having some trouble getting to sleep, I come in and make a big deal about putting all of his animals to sleep and covering them up with his blanket. I then get Jack to lay next to them to keep them company. Works like a charm!

2 Year Old Jack Facts

Yesterday, Jack had his 2 year check up with the doctor. He is such a big boy. Here are the latest Jack facts:

• 38 inches tall! (Off the charts as usual.)
• 33.5 pounds (Don't remember the percentile, but it's near the top.) This was hard to capture because he refused to step on the scale. Every time I got him close to it, he lifted up his legs and screamed. It was actually kind of funny.
• 19 teeth (that last molar is taking it's time!)
• He talks all the time, although we understand very little of it. One thing he has recently started saying is love you which just makes us melt.
• He has figured out how to climb out of his car seat. Terrifying for me.
• He is still a fabulous sleeper. We get a good 11 hours at night, plus a 2 hour nap.
• He is obsessed with vacuums. He loves to vacuum the house and screams "vacuum" repeatedly when he sees them in stores.
• He gets very upset at violence on TV. Even fight scenes in a cartoon scare him. We watched Ice Age for the first time last week and he cried in the opening scene when an animal was stepped on. It was very hard to calm him since the animal didn't reappear right away to help me reassure him that it was OK.
• He has a great fake cry. He pouts his lips and wails. I am hoping to get this on video soon.
• He is a total blast. We love and adore him.

We don't have formal 2 year pics yet. We decided not to have them professionally done because it's just not worth the money. The ones we take look just as good. We just haven't had much time with some of the house projects, but I will do them soon. More to come.

Celebrating 2 Years

Saturday was Jack's 2nd birthday. No, we did not have a party. I don't want to hear it. We just don't think Jack needs a big birthday party with lots of guests EVERY year. I know that most of you do not agree, too bad. He's our kid. We win. Now, that does not mean we didn't celebrate. We had one heck of a family party. It was pretty awesome.

Jack got a train set from Mommy and Daddy. He seems to like it.


Then we had cake. Jack blew out his own candles.


He couldn't believe he got his own cake.


He really just liked the frosting.


This is pretty cool!


Yummy.


I'm in heaven.


Oops! Got some frosting on my arm, better not waste it.


Just contemplating this birthday milestone.

No more shirt, now I can really make a mess!

This may look sweet, but he is trying to push my face in the cake.

Can you stop with the pictures now so I can enjoy my cake in peace?

He also got to go play at the kid's splash park in our community center. Lots of fun. And we ended the day with ice cream. Not a bad day for any of us!

Dear Jack

My Dear Sweet Jack,

Today, you turn two years old and I am filled with emotion. Today marks the day you are no longer a baby. Now you are a little boy.

I want you to know what an important part of our family you are. I waited a long time for you. From the time I was a little girl, I always knew I wanted to be a mother. You came into my life much later than I expected, but God knew I had to wait until the right time. He knew there were experiences I needed to have before I could be your mother. God sent you to us when I was ready. He waited until your father and I were at a point in our relationship where we were ready for you; a time when we were deeply in love and wanted you so much. He waited until your sisters were at an age that they were ready to welcome a little brother into their hearts. You are a perfect fit to our family and you bind us together in ways I never dreamed possible.

I am so honored to raise you. With each new phase you enter, I am not sad about those left behind, but am thrilled to experience the next one with you. You are a joy. You are the most energetic child I have ever seen. You do not rest. You are constantly moving, experiencing, and exploring. You keep us on our toes. You are also the happiest child I have ever seen. Your smiles and giggles fill me with pure joy each day. You are always sweet and loving. You often insist on cuddling with your dad and I, ensuring both our arms are wrapped tight around you. And you give the sweetest kisses! My life is better because of you.

I constantly feel inadequate in raising you. I know I am making mistakes on a regular basis, but know that I am trying my best and I am always thinking about your needs. I promise to do my best to prepare your for the years to come. I will help you become the best person you can be. I will try to encourage you, without pushing and to comfort you, without scolding, so you can achieve all that you dream of…

Thank you for being my son. You have taught me so much already. You have taught me empathy. You have taught me increased patience. Most importantly, you have taught me to enjoy each small moment in life. These past two years have been wondrous and I look forward to our time ahead. I love you with all my heart.

Your Mom

Finally

After a lot of complaints, I finally got a picture of all the kids together. Whew! You wouldn't think it would be this hard.

Family Trip

Yesterday, we took a day trip to Sedona. I love it there. It's so beautiful and peaceful. I love to hike and camp; the rest of the family, however, are not really what you would call "outdoorsy." (Is that even a real word? Anyway...) You know, teenagers really prefer a mall to anything else, so we tried to keep the trip short to avoid complaints. But, Stuart wanted to show our visiting niece some of the wonderful things Arizona has to offer and I am determined to help Jack learn to appreciate nature, so the trip was a must. We took it easy on the girls and did not make them hike. (We knew we were dealing with limited patience.)

Family picture near Bell Rock.


More realistic family picture near Bell Rock. Note that Jack is crying because he found 2 empty beer cans in the parking lot and wanted to play with them. He was less than happy when we denied him his request.




All the girls.


Jack loved the red dirt. Whose bright idea was it to put him in a white shirt that day? Oh, yeah, that was me. Stupid mom.


Oak Creek was Jack's favorite. He loved chasing fish and throwing rocks. He especially loved throwing mud at his family.


How many people does it take to keep a crazy boy from drowning? A lot.

Yes, I am barefoot here. I told you I grew up camping. I'm not quite as delicate as I appear. Besides, I really hate shoes anyway.

Climbing back up to the road with Jack. (still barefoot) Note Karen is at the top and is very proud that she found Heather's missing flip flop that floated down the creek. Hmmm...maybe being barefoot was the way to go...I'm just saying.

Trying to change a boy who really likes being naked is a challenge.


Finally, some pics of me and my baby. Isn't he the best?

I'll make a camper out of him yet. (While dad stays at the nearest hotel...hee hee.)

So Helpful

Have I mentioned how much Jack likes tools? He especially likes the drill. We have sometimes let him play with it, as long as we removed the drill bit, because we assumed he couldn't hurt himself. Apparently, we underestimated the damage he could still do...

ADDICTION

Yes, Jack is now completely, hopelessly, obsessed with his blanket.

When I first bought it for him, I thought it was the best thing in the world. It brought him comfort, reminded him of me, and helped him fall asleep by himself at night. And, because I was a blanket baby, I thought I was careful in the limitation I set. The blanket was never allowed to leave the house. No matter how upset Jack got, it stayed behind when we left. After our recent move, Jack was even getting very good at putting the blanket into his crib himself before we walked out the door. (I liked making him do it because I didn't have to be the bad guy; Instead, we made it his decision to put it away if he wanted to go somewhere.) I even put it away periodically during the day without objection.

Well, the last 2 weeks have been different. Jack must have his blanket with him. He cries in the shower, asking for his blanket. He wants it while he eats...which makes a big mess. He throws a fit when we try to take his blanket from him. When I try to leave, he tells me "no" and runs away with his blanket. If he finds the second blanket, or my matching robe hidden in the house, he insists on having it too. I'm not sure why the sudden change. I can only guess it has to do with having his sisters and his cousin here...maybe he feels he needs extra security.

I don't know, but I am worried. This could get ugly.

Jack's Favorite Things

Jack is very particular these days. He definitely has his opinions on what he wants and when he wants it. Some of his favorite things include:

• His shark jammies (pictured above.) Although, most of the time, he would prefer nothing.
• Hammers (real ones are preferred over toy ones) and he insists on hammering everything in the house.
• Pillows -- about a week ago he began insisting on sleeping with one. He won't go to his room until he gets one from our bed.
• Ice Cream
• Water fountains
• Playing Ring Around the Rosie --until mom gets dizzy
• Baths - they are so much messier than showers, but I can't get him to stop drinking the bath water. Any suggestions?
• Lotion - he likes to put it in his hair. For that matter, everything is treated as hair gel, including dish soap.
• Teev (TV - but he only wants to watch the small one in his playroom, not the big one in the family room.)

Tired

I am so tired...this little guy is the only motivation I can find today. He is so sweet. I love him so much.