And Baby Makes Six

We have a new addition to our weekly play date. Pregnant Karen is no longer pregnant...she is a Mommy. Welsey Kate was born on November 21st and weighed 7lbs 3ozs. Mommy and baby are doing great! It was a long wait for all of us, especially Karen. Baby decided to wait a week past her due date to arrive. Isn't that a girl for you?...always late. Not to mention, poor Karen went through 2 days of contractions before the delivery day...ouch! I'm glad Jack didn't put me through that...(he decided to wait until after his birth to give me a run for my money;) Because Wesley Kate arrived the day before Thanksgiving I didn't get to see her until this week. I sure did think about her and her Mommy a lot though between turkey and stuffing. We arrived today with lunch in hand for Mommy and Daddy who deserved a tiny break. We enjoyed a wonderful afternoon of newborn coos and grunts. It brought back so many memories of just a few months ago. Donna and I showered Karen with advice, a lot of which she probably didn't need, but, things I wish someone had told me. Maybe they did and I was just too busy to listen. However, it was a real treat to see and hold that baby girl that we have all been waiting for. Now, our play date group is complete. I just hope Jack and Patterson don't get in too many fights over the beautiful addition.

Pass The Turkey, Please

And the dressing, and the green bean casserole, and the sweet potatoes, and...the list could go on for Jack. We celebrated Jack's first Thanksgiving at the Cibula's house in Florida. This might be Jack's favorite holiday so far. He got his two favorite things...food and undivided attention. On Thursday Jack got his first taste of real food...turkey and dressing. He dug his hands straight in as soon as we put it on his high chair. Most of it made it to his mouth, he's getting pretty good with those pincher fingers, but a lot of it adorned his cheeks and bib by the end of the meal. His seat at the table gave him a perfect view of the turkey, which was almost a big as him. That didn't deter him though, he was fascinated with such a large piece of food...gobble, gobble! The rest of the holiday week, Jack played with family members on both sides. He got to see GG, Uncle Jim, Jon, Uncle Mike, Grandaddy, Nini, Aunt Linda, Sonja and of course Grammy and Grandpa. He had a very important playdate everyday with Grammy. She played all kinds of entertaining baby games with him. She almost had him crawling by the time we had to leave town...I don't know how with that full tummy. But yes, Grammy's games (and her dog) were so entertaining that Jack would bend over, pull himself up on his knees, and start rocking. Once he saw his own strength there was no stopping him. Grammy said she gives me about two weeks to "baby proof" my house. I better get busy...maybe we'll have a Christmas crawler!

Meg, Miller, and Munchies

What else could you ask for? Today Jack and I didn't need anything else. We met over at Heather and Meg's house for a little impromptu play date. Erica and Miller showed up shortly afterwards to join the fun. The babies played and the Mommy's chatted and munched on snacks. Erica brought some pumpkin dip and apples...it got us all in the mood for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday...yum! Jack wasn't left out this time. He did a taste test and of course moaned for more. Slow down, don't' over do it buddy! Once he was distracted by the giant Elmo he was okay. Jack and I got see some great toy ideas for Christmas. Poor Jack, he is so deprived at our house...he has very few toy choices. I thought I was going to be somewhat of an "anti- too many toys" Mom until I saw how engaged he was with the plethora of options. Okay, so I changed my way of thinking and have decided that Jack NEEDS toys. Yes, he needs them! He was reaching, bending, pushing buttons, and observing every toy. I could see the wheels in his mind turning away. And although he isn't mobile yet, he was doing everything in his power to get what he wanted. Luckily, Meg is a mover, so she hand delivered toys to his lap. He was very grateful for her assistance. Jack let me know that he had enough stimulation for one afternoon when he started rubbing his eyes...nap time. It worked out perfectly because our house is only a couple of miles away from the Dahlby's. We loaded up and headed home and Jack got a well deserved snooze. Thanks ladies and babies, we'll have to do it again soon. Maybe Jack and I can host next time...we better get some toys first though!

Sneak a Peek

The first year of Jack's has been amazing so far. Clay and I can't believe how much he changes from day to day. That is why we are so excited that we made the decision at the beginning of Jack's life to capture every moment with pictures, hence the purchase of a good camera. However, both of us are still far from being professionals behind the lens. And again that is why we are so excited that we chose a photographer we LOVE to capture the milestones in his life. Lisa Russo first came to our house when Jack was 19 days old. She tool beautiful endearing images of him all around our home. She captured moments of our family that we will never be able to return to except through pictures. We asked her to come back for two more milestones...when Jack was sitting unsupported and eventually when he begins walking. Last weekend she came over to take his "sitting" pictures. She sent us a "sneak a peek" a couple of days ago of just a few of the shots. I was in awe, I fell in love with my baby boy all over again. For the next few days I couldn't wait to see the full slideshow. We just received it and as you can imagine, I am so torn as to which ones to order. I want them all! I love the pictures of his curious face...that is just so Jack! But, I also love the images of him laughing and the ones with Cosby and the ones of our family and the ones of him playing with Daddy. Decisions, Decisions!! I have included the link to our slide show below, just click on it, wait a few moments (it takes a while to load initially), and then tell me what you think. I could really use some advice, because if it is left up to me, we are ordering all of them! (Note to family--if you click on the shopping cart at the bottom of the slideshow you can order too:)http://www.lisarussophotography.com/Slideshow/Jack

Seven Month Birthday

Today Jack is seven months old. Everyone said it would go by so fast and I kind of believed them. Now I really do! I know it sounds so cliche but, they really do grow up fast. And that probably won't be the last time you hear me stating that observation. It amazes me that last year at this time I was just barely 4 months pregnant and 7 months ago today Jack was just coming into the world. It is truly amazing, but it is too fast. I have learned to enjoy every minute with Jack...the good and the challenging. Thankfully today has been one of the "good", unlike yesterday which would have fallen into the challenging category. But, that's okay...that is what keeps motherhood from getting mundane or boring. So far, seven months has started out super. Jack woke with a smile on his face, still hungry, but a smile none the less. Between feedings and naps, Jack has talked to me...a lot! He has told me all about his peaches at breakfast, his colorful toys, his reflection in the mirror, and how much he loves me. (I know he was telling me that because he hugged me right afterwards.) We've sang a lot of songs today too. Jack pipes in just when I need his harmonious voice. Can you tell we miss music class? We also went for a stroll and soaked in the warm sunshine. It doesn't look like it will last long so we are enjoying it while we can. We topped our afternoon off with a cozy nap. Jack even babbled his "7 month self" right to sleep. I sat outside his door and listened to the most entertaining one sided conversation I had ever heard. Being Jack's mommy is the best. I love him more than I could have ever imagined. There is no way it gets any better than this. How could it possibly? I know people always tell me, "if you love him now, just wait" or "if you think this is your favorite stage, just wait". I don't believe them...yet anyway!

Nowhere to Be

This week Jack and I have nowhere to be. I opened up my calendar today to plan for the upcoming week and it was empty. It looked like this...

Monday: we usually attend Music Class, but the fall session is over and the winter session doesn't start until the first week of December...so nothing!

Tuesday: we usually have swim, but that 6 week class ended last week...so nothing!

Wednesday: my nanny day...so nothing for Jack!

Thursday: our usual play date with pregnant Karen, baby Patterson, and Donna but, it's actually Karen's due date...so nothing, (except hopefully a baby will arrive)!

Friday: usually a Mother's Guild meeting at church, but that was last week...so nothing!

With nothing to do and nowhere to be, Jack and I are going to play it by ear this week. We will probably...

bundle up and go for a stroll

perfect our sippy cup skills

read some books

practice crawling (which he shows no interest in)

and of course, not worry about what to wear

It will be interesting to see what a week of nothing is like. I think I can speak for Jack too, when I say, "we both like to be busy". He loves observing everything and everyone and with just me to look at he might get slightly bored. Then again, I could be completely wrong. He may actually enjoy having me and my undivided attention all to himself...it remains to be seen. Regardless, I'll keep you posted on how we fill our days this week. If I know "us", we'll find something to get into!

The Big One

Today Jack and I met pregnant Karen, baby Patterson and Donna for our weekly "play date" and lunch. These are some pictures of Jack and Patterson trying to play together. Jack is the "big one".
I like to point that out because it won't always be true. You see, Patterson comes from a family of height. His Daddy is, I don't know...6 foot something ginormous and his Mommy is 5 foot something else tall. So, it is inevitable that Patterson is gong to be a very tall boy. Now Jack doesn't have those same genes running through his family. I am definitely below average in height and Clay is considered average. No matter what we do Patterson will be the "big one" soon. Actually very soon...Jack and Patterson are only 3 months apart. In baby time that may seem like a lot, but in a couple of years that will be nothing. Who knows, maybe even by a year old Patterson will be towering over Jack, he is already getting close! But for now, Clay, Jack and I are are going to revel in the fact that Jack is considered the "big one". Even according to the Pediatrician Jack is tall. At his 6 month appointment he was 29" long and was in the 99th percentile for height....wow! that never happened to me. As for weight, well, you know, he is always up there in that area. When we ask the Pediatrician "when will his genes catch up with him and his numbers seem more realistic?", she just smiles. I think that is her way of saying , "enjoy it while you can". And that is exactly what we are going to do. We're also going to hope that Jack will inherit some of our above average traits too...wink, wink!

Goodie Goodie Groceries

Today Jack and I went to the grocery store. You may be wondering why a trip to the grocery store would be worth blogging about. Well, I'll tell you why...for the past 4 days I have had the stomach flu or virus or stomach something. All I know is I haven't been able to look at food, much less eat it. It started on Monday (yes, it was a long illness) with a little abnormal tiredness. That continued on through Tuesday. On Wednesday, I found myself napping EVERY time Jack did and not waking up when he did. On Thursday morning, I woke severely nauseated which turned into a very ugly Thursday evening. That is when I fell apart and Clay had unexpected Daddy duty again! I spent the next three days in bed or in the bathroom. Between changing diapers, changing bibs, and changing Jack's activities, Clay was also trying to nurse me back to health. That is a lot of work for one Daddy. He took Friday off from work and took the weekend off from any leisure activities. He was a sport, as always! I on the other hand, moaned and groaned and thought I may be on the verge of dying. In 4 days, I ate 3 saltines, 4 pretzels, and a bowl of chicken broth...none of which stayed down...yuck! Occasionally, Clay would bring Jack into my dungeon of a bedroom to see me. Jack would smile and reach for me. I'm sure he was wondering why his Mommy was being so lazy. Then the boys would go downstairs and play. From my bedroom, I could hear laughing, giggling, and squeals...it was music to my ears...I wanted to join in so badly. Everyday of this illness seemed like a week. Cosby was a different story, he didn't leave my side. He had to be forced to go outside for bathroom breaks. I think he was trying to enjoy me all to himself while he could. I told Cosby he was the best "dogtor" ever...he is still my very loyal companion even after being pushed to number 2. Well, every gray cloud has a silver lining. And this cloud had two. #1... for the first time in 15 months, I actually saw my pre-Jack weight on the scale. It was very short lived, but I loved every minute of it! And #2...the dreaded chore of grocery shopping was actually fun again. Jack always enjoys it, but it's not on my top 10 favorite things to do. But, today it wasn't so bad. Jack looked around as if to say, "hey, I remember this place" and I looked at food and didn't even get sick. I was actually beginning to crave a few things...I guess it's so long to that number on the scale!

Trick or Treat

Okay, so I know my last blog was about Jack in his Halloween costume, but I couldn't resist showing it again. He is just so darling. Plus, these are from the official day. At 5:45 pm we met the entire Carriage Park neighborhood by the monument for the start of the annual neighborhood parade. Our whole family attended, Clay and I, Jack, and of course Cosby. Cosby is not too keen on costumes so he wore a Halloween bandanna and he still didn't really like that. As a matter of fact, Jack was the only Cibula in costume...Clay and I sported orange and black instead. We paraded around the neighborhood, kids showing their costumes, and ended at the clubhouse. As usual, Jack's eyes were a mile wide...he starred at everyone in amazement except for his own family...we were old news at that point. Pizza and punch awaited us at the clubhouse, which was great, because who wants to cook on Halloween night? After filling their stomachs, the kids were gone. Jack watched intently as each one disappeared with empty bags in hand. His head turned from one side of the stroller to the next and back again. If I could only read his mind I think he would have been saying, "if I could run, crawl, scoot, anything!". And I was thinking the exact opposite, "oh no, one day Jack is going to grow up!". At that point, we decided it was time to return home to make sure the kids had someone to get candy from. Jack helped us answer the door for a few trick or treaters and then he decided it was bedtime. Cosby helped us answer the door for all of the trick of treaters. Unfortunately his greeting was not quite as welcoming as Jacks. By about...umm...the 48th visitor, Cosby finally realized his efforts were in vain and he gave up. It was even mentioned that we deserved the scariest house award and it was not because of our Halloween decorations! That didn't deter Clay from greeting the costumed kids and passing out candy. I loved listening to the door open and Clay converse with the trick or treaters throughout the night...Jack is really lucky to have such a fabulous Daddy. And with no problem at all, Jack slept Halloween night away even with ringing doorbells, a barking dog, Daddy's greetings, and trick or treaters.