Happy Birthday Miller

This weekend Jack helped Miller celebrate his First Birthday. It was great fun with an exciting baseball theme. The boys have been friends since birth, enjoying Gymboree, swim class, and play dates together. Jack was thrilled to join in on Miller's special day. The two played together until it was time for Miller to get "into" his yummy cake. Jack loved watching Miller's mess making skills. He got to see what he has to look forward to in 2 weeks. Thanks for having us Miller....it was a hit! Happy Birthday to you!

Here are a few pictures of the boys playing...

Here is Jack showing off his new "where is your head?" trick...

An Exceptional Easter Weekend

I have always liked Easter. It's a sign of spring, warm weather, bright colors. But most importantly, because of the true meaning behind it. However, this year I loved Easter. Jack seems to make every holiday just a little more wonderful. What did we ever do without him? We had a exceptional weekend celebrating with a packed agenda.

It all started on Saturday early afternoon when we attended Sophia's First Birthday party. It was great fun with bunny decor everywhere. The birthday girl was dressed to the nines in a beautiful dress and a giant smile. It is easy to see why Jack is so smitten with her. I think these two will be friends for a long while. Sophia even let Jack try on her pink bunny ears, which he wasn't so sure about. Regardless, we had a great time with bunny cupcakes, bunny goody baskets, and lots of playing. Jack was dressed to match the theme in his green gingham bunny suit...he was quite dashing, if I must say. Saturday didn't stop there though.

On the agenda for the late afternoon...the neighborhood Easter Egg hunt. Assuming Jack would do very little hunting, Clay stated that it was just going to be a photo opportunity. I was pleasantly surprised to see that he was wrong. Jack got right in the mix of the festivities, crawling around and grabbing eggs. They weren't too hard for the little ones to find, seeing as how they were laying on the top of the grass. Jack even put a couple in his new Easter basket and then received some assistance from a 4 year old boy...how neighborly! Once Jack reached his 12 egg capacity, he spent the rest of the hunt shaking eggs, then putting them in and out of his basket, pulling out Easter grass, and watching his fellow hunters run around. We stepped back and watched his curiosity go. He didn't even mind that we weren't by his side--he had all he needed right there. Of course, being his Mommy, I thought he was the cutest bunny there, I always do. But as I looked to my right, I saw another Mom video taping his Easter basket exploration. She told me, and I quote "he is the most adorable baby, look at him so content and curious with his basket and eggs, I couldn't help myself, I had to record him". She then told me how she and her mother in law loved babies and she was going to take the video to share with her. She even asked me if she could send the video into a cute baby contest. It is so fun to hear other admirers talk about Jack....it seems there is just something about a baby that makes everyone smile. After lots of Easter fun, we walked home in glorious 70 degree weather. Once arriving home, Jack played with his eggs a little longer, found a jelly bean in one and ate it...his first sweet mind you, I wasn't too thrilled about that and then he headed off to his nightly bedtime routine. Mommy and Daddy didn't follow too far behind him because another busy day awaited us. Sunday was just as exceptional as the day before. When Jack woke from his morning nap, we showed him what the Easter Bunny had brought him. His basket filled with goodies was enough to make his day. He pulled out the stuffed rabbit and squealed with glee. That was followed with a yellow duck, an Easter book, and bath toys. He didn't want to separate from his new loot so we packed it up and took it to afternoon Easter mass with us. With Jack's nap schedule the 12:15 mass seems to suit us best. It always feels that we get a late start to our day on Sundays, but Jack is well worth it. With a packed church Jack was in awe of all the smiling faces around him. He continually shared his bunny and duck with a young girl in front of us. Luckily, she amused him for the majority of the service. Mass was followed by a late afternoon lunch at a local French cafe. Jack really enjoyed having two lunches...one before mass and one after mass. With a full tummy we returned home for an afternoon Easter nap. All of that bunny business must have worn Jack out because he slept until 5:00! Upon waking he headed straight for his Easter basket and played the evening away.

What an exceptional weekend! We hope yours was just as special. Happy Easter to all!
(More pictures of Jack's Easter weekend in his 11 month album)

Mail Bliss

I love getting packages in the mail and I really love it when they are addressed to Jack Cibula. Seeing his name on mail always makes me smile. Today a package arrived at our front door at 2:47 pm for Jack. He was snoozing away, so I had to wait for him to wake up to open it. I could hardly stand it. I shook the box, stared at it, and wondered what could be inside for our baby boy. The return address let me know that it was from Grammy and Grampa in Florida...so thoughtful! Upon waking, I told Jack all about his surprise waiting for him in the kitchen. We hurried through a diaper change and down the stairs we went. "Come on, lets open it!", I was thinking. But, Jack had something completely different on his mind...his afternoon snack. Uh, hello Mommy, what was I thinking? Of course food always comes first. I anxiously awaited for him to finish his snack and then we were off to the brown box. As we were carefully cutting the packing tape, I noticed green Easter grass hanging out...it was then that I decided this was going to be an outside box. I can not stand cleaning up Easter grass and Jack is all about eating anything on the floor these days. Not to take any chances on a green grass mess we headed out to the back porch with the half opened box in hand. Jack quickly realized what all of the excitement was about when he spotted the fluffy white lamb peering out. He snatched it up, hugged it tight, and gave me a huge grin. Okay, time to get the camera. A little lamb loving and a few pictures later, we sifted through the grass to find a Peter Rabbit book and a wooden puzzle. Daddy arrived home from work right after our new discovery. Jack must have thought that was impeccable timing on Daddy's part because he shoved the book in his face about 5 times. Each time expecting Daddy to read it, silly voices and all. I think we might have a new favorite story. He shifted between the lamb, the puzzle and the book all the way till dinner time. What fun it is to share Easter with our little one and it's just begun. So, thank you Grammy and Grampa for a wonderful afternoon and kick off to Jack's first Easter weekend. The best part is more mail bliss to come...Grandma sent us an Easter package too...we can't wait to see what is inside!

Bye Bye Baby

It was a "bye bye" kind of day at our house. With all of the comings and goings Jack had a lot to say. It started in the AM with a peer out the window and a "byyyyye byyyye" to Cosby as he headed out to do his morning duty. Apparently Jack didn't understand that Cosby would be returning in a matter of minutes. The "bye bye" day continued as Abby, the nanny, left in the afternoon. Jack followed close on her heels as she headed for the front door, all the while chanting "byyyyye, byyyyye". He sat up along the way to add a wave or two and then was back to crawling mode to ensure she made a safe exit. I think he would have escorted her to the car, if I had let him. But, Jack didn't stop there. In the evening, he gave Daddy a round of "byyyyye, byyyyye's" as he left the playroom door. To make sure Daddy heard him properly, Jack followed him half way up the stairs repeating his word of the day. Now that I think about it, Mommy is the only one who didn't receive a farewell today...umph! Oh well, at least we can add "bye, bye" to his list of words with meaning. That's two for those of you counting. So in the words of baby Jack...."byyyye, byyyyye" for now.

Eleven Month Birthday

Jack is eleven months old today. We are nearing the end of babyhood and toddler days are right around the corner. It is so hard for me to believe. I have enjoyed everyday of Jack's baby life, but am anxiously awaiting to see what the next stage has in store for us. It has been a WONDERFUL month with new feats, lots of laughs, and plenty of growing. I don't want to forget any of this, so this post is going to be rather detailed and lengthy. Here is everything you ever wanted to know about Jack Henry Cibula and more...

Jack is looking more and more like a toddler everyday. He is growing taller, leaning out a bit, and his baby face is maturing. If I had to guess, I would say he weighs about 23lbs. That is only an estimation based on getting on the scale with him, then without him, and subtracting the numbers. When he stands up he comes just above the middle of my thigh. I know this because he is constantly pulling up on my legs and holding on for dear life. Depending on the brand, he is wearing clothes sized 12 months -18 months. We just recently moved him to size 4 diapers. We probably should of done it a little earlier, but I had full stock on size 3's. Had to use those up first....poor baby had rolls hanging over his diaper. He is still wearing the same size shoe, which is a 3. The only change is that when we had him fitted for "cruising appropriate" shoes, he is now an extra wide. They come in regular, wide, and extra wide...needless to say, our baby boy has chubby feet.

Jack's eating habits have changed in the last few weeks. If you had asked a month or two ago, I would have said "he hasn't met a food he doesn't like". But, now his palate is becoming more particular. He is eating smaller portions and choosy about what actually makes it all the way down. His favorite veggies are Lima beans and peas. Yuck...those might be the only two vegetables I don't eat! However, Clay loves both so maybe that's where he got it from. Depending on the day, Jack likes carrots and squash, but has learned to snub his nose at broccoli. He drops it off of his tray and waits for Cosby to clean it up. Cosby is not a huge broccoli fan either, so Mommy usually ends up doing the dirty work. He will eat any and all fruit. He devours grapes, blueberries, oranges, bananas, strawberries, pears, apples, you name it. He drinks lots of water and formula and couldn't care less about juice. I finally stopped buying it due to the waste of money and the time it took to dilute it with water. We'll try again later. For now, its just water and Jack is happy with that. I have begun the bottle weaning process too. Jack drinks from a sippy cup the majority of the day. The nighttime bottle is my biggest dread. He loves to drink his formula while he is laying down getting his pj's on. I can't imagine him drinking from a cup laying down...that wean will be interesting! I think Ill put that one off for another couple of weeks. I've found that Jack's favorite food is whatever Mommy and Daddy are eating. It doesn't matter what it is or how it smells...Jack wants it. And he will be the first to let you know. He points, moans, groans, and does his baby sign for more. I warn him that he may not like what we are eating, but somehow he always does. Our most recent experience that comes to mind is a dinner time when Clay and I were enjoying parmesan crusted tiliapia. You guessed it...Jack ate an entire fillet and loved it. Jack's philosophy on food is..."as long as mommy and Daddy are eating it, it must be good".

Jack is still a great sleeper and for that we will be forever grateful. He takes two naps a day...morning nap at 9:30 and afternoon nap at 2:00. He sleeps twelve hours at night...7:30-7:30. I don't even need a clock in my house with him around. I can tell the time of day just by his mood. Anytime we are nearing crib time, all of the sleepy signs show. If for some reason Jack doesn't get a good rest, we all pay for it. He loves and needs his sleep. I think he gets that from his Mommy. Putting him down is very easy too. He practically dives into his crib when we enter his nursery. All I have to do is mention Lovey Dog's name and he is ready. Lovey is Jack's bedtime buddy and he wouldn't dream of sleeping without him. I hand him Lovey and with two arms outstretched he grabs him, rubs him in his face, and lets out a big yawn. The thumb usually follows, which thank goodness, is only a sleepy time habit. Most of the time Jack falls asleep rather quickly, but occasionally he and Lovey Dog enjoy a little one sided chat. I think Jack likes telling him about all he has done and learned that day. Jack usually wakes well rested and happy. I love his rosy cheeks and huge grin he gives me when I arrive to get him. It is worth it's weight in gold.

When Jack is awake he is a busy baby. His favorite toys are his walkers and his books. At the first sight of a push toy he is racing towards it. This excitement just began about 3 weeks ago. The pride on his face shows when he is wheeling around the house. He makes laps from the front door, through the dining room, into the kitchen, past the living room, around the sun room and back again. If he gets stopped by a dreaded wall he gives a pitiful whine and we are always there to rescue him. And then off he goes again. He makes an occasional pit stop to play with his letters, his cars, or a ball. He has also found that putting toys where they don't belong and hiding them can be very entertaining. His favorite hiding spot...under the couch. I find all sorts of pieces and parts under there after he goes to bed at night. EVERYTHING must go into something too. Jack likes to put puzzle parts and balls into his shape sorters, stuffed animals into his book baskets, instruments and plastic rings into the ball popper, and tiny farm animals into his tunnel. Like I said EVERYTHING goes into something. But above all, his favorite activity involves books. He likes to turn the pages, point at the pictures, hand them to me, and listen to Mommy and Daddy read them. He climbs into his red reading chair in his playroom, kicks his feet, flails his arms, gives us a toothy grin, and then hands us one book after another. His favorite book is "Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?". He is fascinated by the animals and the goofy sounds Mommy and Daddy make while reading it out loud. I have that book memorized and often find myself saying it in my sleep. The best part is when he tries to imitate the noises we make, so far he has the bear growl down.

Although Jack has several "likes" in his life right now, he also has some dislikes. One that has been plaguing us for 3 months now is a diaper change. Jack has no time to slow down for a clean diaper and unfortunately dirty diapers don't bother him too much. I pull every trick out trying to keep him still for that one minute of agony (2 minutes if it's really dirty). Wow, it can wear a Mommy out! He is not too keen on getting dressed either. However, I can usually get that done while he is on the move. I just have to shut the bedroom door so he can't get too far. Other dislikes include, sitting in a still stroller, waiting for food, putting on shoes, and getting his face wiped down. I'm guessing that list wont change in his toddler years.

Regardless of the few challenges, so much about Jack has amazed me this past month. I always say he was a new baby when he woke up on his 3 month birthday...no more colic! Now, I say, he was a baby ready to learn when he woke up on his 10 month birthday. I'm sure he has been taking in the world since he was a newborn, but now he is actually acting on it. I find that he is truly trying to communicate with me all day and I love it! He points to everything and babbles on to tell me about it. If it's something he really wants that babble turns into a moan very quickly. He is beginning to use his baby signs at meal time. He is pro at "more" and attempting "all done". I am beginning to see an end to meal time drama...I think? We are still working on "drink", "eat", "lovey/sleep", "mommy and daddy", and a few animals. As long as we get the meal communication down, I will be happy. He waves hi and bye, but not always on command. None the less, he will do it even if you are already up the driveway and down the road. He likes to feed the whole family, including Cosby. He tries to shove crackers and veggies in all of our faces. But, if it is one of his favorite foods, he'll psych you out. He will attempt to hand it over and as soon as we get ready to take a pretend bite, he shoves it in his mouth. Jack just isn't quite ready to share his favorite things yet. Physically, he is moving all over the place. If he is not speed crawling, he is up on furniture cruising around. He has let go for about half a second only to grab back on to safety before a fall. I can see so much progress on the road to independent walking and it amazes and scares me all at the same time. He has also begun imitating Mommy and Daddy. He watches with that studying face and then turns around and tries it himself. If we do something that he thinks is funny, he'll try it over and over again. Clay put a plastic Easter egg on his head and Jack did the same, Clay put the egg on his eye and Jack did the same, Clay put the egg on his ear and Jack did the same. You get the picture. Who knew such simple feats could amaze us? We are having so much fun watching him learn.

I haven't quite pegged his personality yet. He is starting to get a wonderful sense of humor though. His giggle is the best sound in the world. I will embarrass myself to no end just to hear it. Although, Daddy is the best at getting the laughs out of Jack. I would definitely say that Jack is a happy baby, unless he is sick, tired or hungry, but isn't that the case with all boys? But, if I had to describe Jack in one word it would be intense. His emotions are always at full throttle when we are at home. If he is happy, the whole house shakes with his squeals and giggles. But, if he is upset, the whole neighborhood can hear his whines. Out in public or around new faces, he is somewhat different. He will get that curious Jack look and study everything around him. It almost looks as if he is trying to solve the problems of the world or memorize everything that he sees. Once he warms up, the intense Jack settles in, and emotions run high, whether happy or upset. I always smile when people ask me, "is he always this mellow?". Funny thing is, I don't see anything mellow about him. He may appear that way, but he is actually in deep thought, soaking it all in. I always hoped he would have Clay's more laid back personality, but I think he has got a little more of me in him. If I had to guess, I would say, Jack got Daddy's looks and Mommy's personality (with a bit of his own originality in there). The way he is changing everyday, who knows if that will always be the case. All I know is we love him no matter who he looks or acts like.

I knew this would be lengthy, but when I start talking about Jack , I could go on forever. I"ll stop here to avoid boring anyone, if you even made it this far! I must thank God everyday on the hour for my baby Jack (soon to be toddler Jack). He is such a gift and a most precious one at that. I can't remember life before him and I can't imagine life without him. As my Grandma has said, "God knew what he was doing when he made babies". I hope he knew what he was doing when he made toddlers too because that is where we are headed in a month!

Easter, Eggs, and Skepticism

We were invited to an Easter Extravaganza today at the Atlanta Speech School. If you know anything about that school, it was guaranteed to be extravagant. When we woke up to snow flurries outside our window, I was slightly disappointed. Everything was going to be moved inside. However, that wasn't the most disappointing part. The biggest disappointment was that Jack wouldn't be able to wear his spring like Easter suit! Oh well, we dressed him according to the weather and out the door we went. I was pleasantly surprised to see the Easter Bunny when we arrived. Perfect...now I wouldn't have to drag Jack to the dreaded mall for a bunny picture. Unfortunately, Jack didn't share my feelings. We approached the life sized bunny and Jack immediately gave both Clay and I a look of skepticism. Pushing the photo opportunity, we placed Jack on the furry bunny's knee. What began as a faint whine turned into a "okay, enough of this guy" whine. So three "not so good" pictures later, Jack was back in our arms. His skepticism really never went away for the rest of the afternoon. He was constantly looking out of the corner of his eye to make sure that big furry white guy was no where around. We tried to distract Jack with lunch, which worked for a while. He was actually more interested in the Easter basket and eggs used as table decorations. Next we were off to the petting zoo to see some Easter animals. Jack loves animals, so I thought this was sure to cure his skeptical behavior. Still not over the shock of the Easter bunny, Jack carefully assessed the situation. He began with a gentle touch to the goose who came to meet him. Thinking he was content, we placed him in the petting zoo with the animals. He was greeted by a sheep, a bird, a rabbit, a chicken and even a pig. The look on his face said, "these aren't like the ones in the books we read". He made several glances back to make Mommy and Daddy to ensure we were still near by. Of course we were always within arms reach. The thought crossed his mind to touch one of the farm friends and then his skepticism would take over. Not too sure of his new acquaintances, Daddy decided to take Jack out and let him observe from the outside of the gate. A much more relaxed Jack gazed on. When it was time to go, we bundled Jack up and started to stroll on out. However, something of interest caught Jack's eye. He pointed and babbled on until we realized he wanted a balloon. Anything to make him happy at this point. He really had his eye on the pink one, but we thought yellow would be more appropriate for our boy's boy. One yellow balloon later, Jack was a happy camper and we were home bound at last. So until next year, we can assume the Easter bunny is not exactly on Jack's favorite list of holiday characters. Only time will tell if he changes his skeptical opinion of the hoppy bunny....we'll try again next spring! (More of Jack's Easter adventure in his 10 month album)

Lazy Days

I know I shouldn't be complaining but, Jack has been sleeping a lot lately. So much, that I've called the pediatrician twice and we even went in for a visit yesterday. It all started on Saturday when he went down for his afternoon nap. At 2:00 we put him in his crib and he didn't get up until 5:30. I must of checked on him 8 times and each time he was perfectly fine. By evening, he was ready for his usual bed time with no problem at all. Then Sunday he averaged about 2 1/2 hours for each nap. That is an hour more than usual for nap time. So, being the paranoid Mom that I am, I called the pediatrician. They said to just watch him, check on him often (as if I needed that advice), and if I was still concerned to call back on Monday. No other symptoms gave me any reason to be alarmed so we waited until Monday. Everything was back to normal by then, or so I thought. Then Tuesday came...more loooong naps! But, again, nothing else to cause concern. By evening he was ready for bed at 5:00. I had to do everything, short of standing on my head, to make him wait until 6:30 to hit the crib. And that was even a whole hour before Jack's normal bed time. On Wednesday he pulled another 3 hour morning nap. He only woke up because we opened his door to let a little noise in. He finally aroused sleepy eyed and groggy. That's it, I thought, another call to the pediatrician. I was hoping they would say, "it's really no big deal", but instead they wanted to see him..."just in case". Upon arriving at the office, Jack was happy, giggly and loving all of the compliments from the nurses. He has become quite the baby celebrity around East Cobb Pediatrics....does this mean we're there too much? Regardless, we saw the doctor, and everything checked out fine. No ear infections, no cough, no sore throat, no fever, no flu, nothing. I have to say I was very relieved, but still curious as to what has been making Jack so lazy these days. He is eating great, playing hard, and getting plenty of night time sleep....what is the problem? The doctor said, "not to worry, he may just be growing or possibly carrying a little virus with no other symptoms". I don't know if that answer is good enough for me. I wanted something concrete that I could blame his extra zzz's on. I should be happy though, right? This is what I worked so diligently on those first few months of Jack's young life...long hard naps. And as a positive result Jack is a slave to his nap schedule. But the other part of me fears I've created a napping monster. I'm sure, as always, this is just another stage and it too shall pass. Like I said, I know I shouldn't be complaining, I guess I'm just wondering. To cure my wonderment, I have to continue to remind myself that anything is better than half naps or no naps...and we've been through it all!

Lions and Lambs

The old saying goes, "March roars in like a lion and leaves like a lamb". Today the adage proved to be untrue. Clay, Jack, Cosby, and I enjoyed a beautiful start to March right in our own front yard. With temperatures in the high 60s and the glorious sun beaming down on us it was hard to resist being outside. Daddy worked on chainsawing fallen trees in our yard from the terrible storm and possible tornado that came through our neighborhood earlier this week. Yes, I said tornado...(that is a whole other story in itself). And yes, I also said Daddy and chainsaw in the same sentence...(mind you, he had a little guidance from our friendly neighbor). Jack and I practiced first steps behind his new walking toy. He was off and away until he would run into a bumpy patch in the grass, then a little frustration would set in. I was there to help and off he would go again. It was very exciting to see Jack motivated to stand and actually move forward. Although, I think we have a long road ahead of us before independent walking. In between walking practice, Jack and I sat in the grass and soaked in the rays, talked to neighbors, waved at dogs walking past, and watched Daddy hard at work. Daddy even took a few breaks to hang with us. Cosby enjoyed every minute. As much as I love warm weather, Cosby loves it double. Not to mention, he had his whole family to lounge in the grass with. He was in doggy heaven. It was a beautiful lazy afternoon...my favorite! Days like today make me wish that "lion" would never rear his ugly roar.