Rice Cereal To The Rescue

I'm pretty sure rice cereal is just the rescue we needed around here.

You see, my sleepy Maggie, who hasn't woken in the middle of the night since she was 10 1/2 weeks old, decided to request a 4:00 a.m. visit here recently. I didn't get it. 'What? Surely she's not hungry!' I held her, rocked her, checked for teeth, and tried to soothe her back to sleep. I got her back down around 6:00 am only to hear her belting out for me again at 6:45. 'Okay, she must be hungry'. I reluctantly fed her much earlier than her scheduled time.

Throughout the day I upped her ounces, which isn't easy to do when you are nursing. So I decided to follow up each feeding session with a supplemental 4 oz bottle of formula...and every time she guzzled it down.

I held my breath that night when I put her down for bed. That second night she graced me with a 6:00 am wake up. A whole hour and a half earlier than usual. No doubt it was definitely hunger. That's when I made the decision to add rice cereal to her diet.

And let me tell you, it was a decision. I was really hoping to wait until 6 months. I did start Jack at 5 1/2 months, but let's face it, they are two totally different babies. I just didn't think she was ready, mostly physically. But, she apparently had another plan.

After one feeding of rice cereal a day since then, I haven't heard another peep from her until 7:30-8:00 am. I admit it...I was wrong...she was ready.

Her first feeding was challenging to say the least. I forgot how messy babies get. I was constantly removing her fingers from her mouth, prying the spoon out of her grubby little fingers, and repeatedly assisting her back into a sitting position. All in all she was happy though--loving every bite and waiting for more.

Since then, we have made a lot of progress. She now keeps her chubby little fingers out of the way and let's me do the feeding. I could easily say this feeding is Maggie's most vocal time of the day. I think if she could talk she would be saying, "more", "mmmm", "yummy", and "hurry up Mommy".

Next on the agenda...add some pears. She's really going to go nuts over that!

Goodbye Grandma

After two weeks in the glorious company of my Mom, Jack and Maggie had to say goodbye to their Grandma. Hard isn't even the word to describe the parting. We miss her...dearly and more than that we need her.

My kids love her and enjoyed every minute she was here. I personally soaked in the extra helping hands and only wished we had family in town. She's been across the country now since Jack was born. With her great job opportunity holding her there it seems selfish to want her back. But forgive me, I'm going to be selfish, I'm ready for her to come back...really ready.

Jack was at school when I dropped her off at the airport. Grandma said her goodbyes the night before to prepare him and again in the morning. But, when he returned home that afternoon from school, he flew through the door, artwork in hand, and declared "I've got show this to Grandma!". I gently reminded him that she was on her airplane going home. And all he could say with a solemn face was "Oh". See Mom, I'm not the only one who misses you.

On a brighter note, we had a very busy visit while she was here. Two birthday parties, trips to the zoo and aquarium, lots of shopping, late night tv watching, home cooked meals, and cookie bake-a-thons, just to name a few. We are looking forward to her next visit or better yet her return!

Until then a few pictures and good memories will have to hold us over...

He's Really Three

Nothing like celebrating 10 days before your actual birthday! Jack has literally been celebrating his 3rd birthday for 2 weeks now. But, today it's official...he is really 3!

Our family tradition continued this April 13th of waking Jack with a video camera, a regular camera, and little ditty called "Happy Birthday". His reaction this year was much more welcoming than on his 2nd birthday, which entailed tears, and they were not of joy:) I think it had something to do with wanting to eat as SOON as his eyes opened back then.

This year was a whole different reaction... he bounced from pillow to pillow on his big boy bed, danced, hugged Grandma and I (Daddy was traveling for work), and beamed with pride. He was loving really being 3...finally!

So I decided I would dedicate this post to all things Jack. You are about to learn more about him then you ever wanted to know, but hey, it's more for me than you.

*Jack is very into "collections" right now. It's annoyingly cute. He has managed to fill up every bin, box, basket, he can find with "things". "Things" like cars, rocks, Little People figures, airplanes, plastic food, small stuffed toys, bouncy balls, plastic animals, stickers, trains, and the list goes on and on and on. The amazing thing is that he actually keeps inventory on his "collections" so there is no accidentally throwing certain items out. And did I mention you better not touch his "collection" if you are under the age of 15? If you do, watch out!

*Every "R" blend word in Jack's vocabulary is given the "FR" sound. For example a truck is a 'fruck', three is 'free', a trip is a 'frip', straw is 'fraw'...you get the picture, I'm sure.

*To date, Jack has two imaginary friends. 1) His "dump truck" friend. Don't ask...all I know is she, yes it's a girl, is green and doesn't talk a lot. But, she likes to sing. 2) And then there is Carson. Carson is a brown monster, but don't fret, he is a "nice monster".

*If you ask Jack his favorite color, this is the answer you will get--"My favorite colors are blue and yellow, but I like all the colors, and sometimes orange".

*His favorite TV shows are Sesame Street (still) and Curious George. He even talks like CG, which really isn't talking and can get very frustrating when you need a real answer.

*He has a very ritualistic bedtime routine. It begins with a bath, then pjs, 3 books in bed with Daddy, the "blessings"(as he calls his prayers), and then a round of the "baby" song. The "baby" song is a song my Mom sang to me when I was little. I made the mistake of singing it to Jack one night when he was sick. Since then it has become part of the routine. He wants it 3 times and then an "extra", thank goodness it's short!

*When Jack goes down for his nap or bed time, he always requests his "forest". This means take all of the pillows, place them in a circle and he hops in the middle to sleep. It took me a long time to figure out where he got "make my forest" from. Then we read, If you Give a Pig a Pancake, remember how the pig makes a fortress out of sheets and couch cushions? Well, there you have it. In a 3 year old's eyes that big word is "forest". Mommy and Daddy must just be reading it wrong.

*Jack's favorite snack is yogurt with a straw. And please don't pick out his straw for him. Actually for that matter, don't pick anything out for him.

*His favorite foods are grilled cheese sandwiches, dried apricots, muffins, peanut butter pretzels, and letter cookies.

*His favorite outdoor activity is his sand box and if it's warm playing in the hose or sprinklers.

*His chore is feeding Cosby in the a.m. and checking his water bowl. He usually makes a beautiful mess, but that's not the point. I'm thinking it's time to add one more to that short list.

*We are still potty training and at the rate we are going we may still be when I give you a 4 year update. (no offense Jack--when you read this in 20 years)

*Sometimes I think he is more fascinated with how a toy works than the actual toy itself. His favorite toy is his new marble run from Grammy and Grampa. He has been asking for one since Christmas. He broke my heart when he said "Santa forgot my marble game". I'm glad he is so forgiving--his patience finally payed off this 3rd birthday.

*Jack loves babies, especially his own. I have to literally hover over stranger's babies in fear of Jack loving on them a little too much. His intentions are always good though.

*He loves to wrestle with Daddy. He calls this game "Hop on Daddy" taken from the good ol' Dr Seuss book, "Hop On Pop". And let me tell you, this game can make the house shake.

*He still takes about a two to three hour nap in the afternoon. Some days he plays instead of snoozing, but the majority of the time he gets his rest.

*Jack's constant companion is still his Lovey. And he can spot a fake from a mile away.

*Jack is truly the excitement in our day. He makes us laugh when he doesn't even mean to. He melts our heart when he doesn't realize how being so sweet makes us feel. He is such a creature of habit and I can appreciate him for that. He is particular, curious, good hearted, and energetic. His full body monkey hugs are the best. His pounding little foot steps and his chipper little voice are what make our house a home. He is a our little boy and we can't imagine life without him.

We love you Jack and can't believe you are REALLY THREE! XOXO

"Crawl"ing to 40

I can finally hang my party planning hat up...until November that is...then it's sweet Maggie's turn!

We celebrated Clay's fabulous 40th on Saturday. And in my opinion it was nothing short of that...fabulous! I could not have asked for a smoother run party. There were so many moving parts to make this night work and everything went just as planned. *sigh* I'm taking a deep breath as we speak. Happy Birthday Clay--you are worth every sleepless night and nap time spent party planning!

Clay knew we were celebrating on Saturday April 10th, but he didn't know what was in store. The only info I gave him was to pack an overnight bag. Oh trust me, he annoyed me with guess after guess. On Saturday afternoon we headed down to our hotel room and I had a party goodie bag and invitation waiting for him at the entry table. He would finally know!

The invitation read... Clay is Turning 40! Come one, Come All!

We are going to celebrate with a Pub Crawl.

A bus will be there to drive us around,

We have three stops to make out on the town.

The final stop will be our hotel door,

Where we will toast Clay once more!

The goodie bags were filled with a koozie, bagged pretzels, Tylenol, and the rolled up paper you see was the agenda for the evening, complete with times and locations. And of course, the paper matched the theme with a draft beer and pretzel print...(it was too curly to try to get a picture of).

The first stop was a local brewery. We were given souvenir glasses, 4 beer tickets, and a tour. I was able to bring in my own food, which worked out extremely well. We then loaded the left over food on the bus for anyone who got the munchies through out the night.

The second stop was a downtown pub. We had the entire front balcony reserved for us. The weather was fabulous. A few folks were missing from this picture...bathroom break! There wasn't a bathroom on our Limo bus.

The third stop was a pub in midtown where we had the loft reserved for us. We celebrated with birthday desserts and a round of "Happy Birthday". The desserts were divine, who knew a bar could make such scrumptious chocolate covered strawberries and ice cream brownies...yum! Excuse Clay, it was late in the evening, and I am happy to report he was having a lot of fun!

A final toast to the Birthday boy! Happy 40th honey, here's to another 40 years!