Just for Fun...

The hubby and I were trying to decide whom Jack favors the most. It's a fun little game many new parents play when they're bored. We finally decided he looks a lot like both of us. The poor hubby gets overshadowed a lot because Jack has my round face, dark eyes, and dark hair (although I'm not sure the hair is from me). I believe he has a lot of his dad in him too. Just for fun I'd like everyone's input. I've included pics of all of us around the same age (give or take a month). Tell us what you think.

Happy New Year!

Make a free ecard - it's easy!

Christmas Scrapbook

Make a scrapbook - it's easy!

Some Christmas Fun!

I ran across this website last night, jibjab.com. The hubby's favorite movie is It's a Wonderful Life. I like how big Jack's head is in all the scenes. :) In "Snowball Fight" the other two elves are the hubby's sister and her main squeeze. In "It's a Jibjab Life" Uncle Billy is my mother, the cab driver is my mother-in-law, and Clarence is my nephew. Enjoy!


http://www.jibjab.com/sendables/view/FB1m2C49BHx4jZaXcNyDfWHN

http://www.jibjab.com/sendables/view/y86FeWGJMS56x5rlnEOh6vVL

Can I Just Say...

Can I just say that I love my baby's legs? Something about those fat little thighs and the cute little rolls makes me all gushy inside. I'm always pinching them. When Jack was born, he had the skinniest chicken legs. They stayed that way for a couple of months. I remember how odd I thought it was given that I have HUGE thighs (I have rolls and dimples too, but they aren't as cute :P ) and the hubby has big muscular legs. At three months, Jack showed me he had no intention of staying little any longer. Those tiny little twigs turned into massive tree trunks. I have included a picture that shows them off. Feel free to pinch the screen. You know you want to.

Grammar Queen!

I just realized I included a misplaced modifier in my last post. If you noticed it, congratulations! You are probably like me and can't enjoy reading anything for entertainment without scrutinizing it along the way. I have decided to be a rebel and not correct my error. We'll call it "grammar queen therapy" :)

We've been Ferberized!

I'm happy to report that Jack has finally started to improve when it comes to sleeping. I few weeks ago I ordered a book by a guy named Ferber that focused on healthy sleep habits for children. Ferber is a controversial guy because of his cry it out method. Many people disagree with his tactics (several who have completely misinterpreted his methods and never read his book). I digress. The book recommended keeping track of Jack's sleep patterns and noting times during the day when he definitely was asleep. After I figured out that Jack is usually asleep by at least 11am, 2pm, and 5:30 pm each day, I decided I would make a conscience effort to put him down at those times. The minute I did the crying at bedtime decreased dramatically. For the past two days he's barely made a whimper. I nurse him, put him down drowsy, and he goes right to sleep. I was worried about him yesterday because he seemed so calm. I assumed he didn't feel well. The hubby mentioned that he was probably well rested and not overtired. That made perfect sense. Jack's night sleep has improved too. He goes down at 9:30, wakes up once between 4 and 5 am for a feeding and sleeps until 8:30 in the morning. I've included so much detail with the hope that this post may help someone else struggling with a tough sleeper. I would definitely recommend the Ferber book. I know that there will still be bumps in the road (teething, colds, growth spurts, etc.) but now I feel like a I have some directions. Jack and I aren't driving aimlessly down the freeway the wrong way anymore. Like my metaphor anyone?

Jack's First Santa Picture

This past Monday Jack had his picture made with Santa. Santa looks thrilled doesn't he? Jack was very good, but he kept staring at me and not the camera lady. She was shaking this huge ribbon of jingle bells to get his attention, too. I might need to get his hearing checked :)
My goal is to do this every year and put them in Christmas frames to display on my front table. I still can't believe I have a baby this Christmas. Oh and a funny side note, Jack's khakis looked a little snug on the way to the mall so I undid the button for him. I completely forgot to button his pants before I put him in Santa's lap! What a nitwit!

Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'

Jack recently started flipping from his belly to his back. He really became a pro over the Thanksgiving holidays. The only downside is that tummy time is now more difficult. He absolutely refuses to stay on his belly. Even so, I have fun watching how proud he is of himself once he's on his back. I know this is just the start of things to come. The hubby and I were discussing how Jack seems to be getting frustrated with his lack of mobility. He wiggles like he wants to break free, sometimes trying to get out of my lap and onto the floor. I'm not sure what he thinks is going to happen if he suceeds. When I watch him play with his toys, he cries out of frustation when he can't get the toy to do what he wants. I try to help him out but usually have a hard time figuring out exactly what he wants his toy to do. Recently, he started pulling himself up on his legs (with our help of course). He also loves sitting in his bumbo. I know they've been recalled, but that's only for ignorant parents who think it's okay to leave the baby in the bumbo on the kitchen table and walk away. Honestly, why in the world would someone think that was a safe idea? Sitting up unassisted makes him feel like more of a big boy and quells a little bit of his frustration. He can't last too long, however, because his neck muscles aren't strong enough yet. I think we'll be in for it once this kiddo gets to crawling. Maybe some of this baby weight will come off when I start chasing him around. ;)

The following video is of Jack flipping over. Please ignore the cat walking through; she thinks she's a diva.

Jack is Jolly!

Hello all!

Finally, after millions of tickles and funny faces, Jack will laugh for us! We caught a few precious moments here and there, but now he will laugh almost every time I pretend to eat his belly. Not much glamour and sophistication in it for me, but it's so worth it. I have included a video clip below. Please focus your attention on Jack's jolly giggle and not his mother making a fool of herself. Enjoy! :)

I never want to do THAT again!!!!!

I received my first official terrifying moment as a mother last night. Jack threw a whooper fit in the tub last night (odd b/c he usually loves his baths). I decided to do the one thing that always soothes him, nursing. Jason and I noticed his chest was retracting, basically caving in with each breath, a warning sign that he wasn't getting enough air. We freaked, naturally! After searching in vain for a 24 hour urgent care center, we finally went to Dallas Regional. I have a hard time describing how I felt. At any moment, I felt as if I was going to start sobbing uncontrollably. I don't know if my pulse has ever been that out of control. Thank God for my hubby. He remained so calm and controlled. We really are opposites. I am so controlled by my emotions. He relies on his logic and common sense (something I don't have much of). The nurse put a cute little monitor on Jack's toe. His vitals were great, in fact perfect. BTW, we also found out that he's now over seventeen pounds! The doctor thought he was probably coming down with a respiratory virus. He received a breathing treatment, and we were sent home.

Today, the pediatrician told my hubby that Jack does indeed have bronchiolitis, an infection in his small air sacs. She said if he's still eating and playing not to worry. There is a slight chance his breathing could get worse and we would have to return to the hospital. As a new mother, nothing worries me more than my little guy's lungs. Knowing something is wrong with them is making me a wreck; however, I have a strong boy who's breastfed. This increases his chances for a quick recovery.

Needless to say, my Christmas decorations are still in their boxes. Poor snowmen :(

Cereal Killer!

Jack had his first cereal experience on Thanksgiving. All in all, he did well. I'll call it an "experience" because I'm not positive how much ingesting actually went on. The doctor said to wait insisting that he did not need the empty calories. I am finding that I am an enabler. Giving him his first cereal on Thanksgiving was just too tempting. Plus, when every day consists of some "first", this will be a "first" I will definitely remember. He's getting quite good at the eating thing now. I can't wait to introduce veggies. Somehow, looking at Jack, I think he'll prefer the sweet fruits. :)

Giving Thanks

Well we made it through Jack's first Thanksgiving! To be honest, the hubby and I were a bit nervous about the whole ordeal. We had two dinners in one day. Jack isn't an awesome napper to start with, and we just knew he would refuse to sleep and have major malfunctions by the end of the day. Surprisingly, he took two decent naps. We brought his pack n play this time. Everyone held and enjoyed him. It was such a different experience having other people hold Jack the whole time. During the colic days, people would take him, hold him for a minute, and then hand my baby back to me with a look of bewilderment on their faces. I don't blame them. I didn't know what to do with him and I'm his mother. I'm sooooo happy everyone can enjoy him, finally.

Remembering...

I just read a good friend's blog. Her little boy is six months old, and she posted a newborn picture next to a recent one. Just looking at how much her little boy has grown made my eyes water. I got to thinking about Jack and how far we've all come. The first weeks were so hard with the colic. I was just cleaning out some documents on my computer and found a poem I wrote when I was just a few weeks pregnant. I'm not claiming to be a poet or anything, but this just seems to capture what I was feeling (and still do) about my role in Jack's life and his in mine.

I loved you when you were an idea, conceived from love and wanting.
I felt you before you attached yourself to my inner being, feeding off my joy and worry.
I know at this moment I am creating a legacy that will thrive beyond my existence and whisper what I once was.
Your dependence on me mirrors my need for you.
My hope, happiness, and strength reside within your possibility.

Let Sleeping Babies Lie?

Recently several of my friends and family have been doing this blogging thing. I have hesitated because, knowing my insane procrastination abilities, I've been afraid to get anything started that I may not finish. Then I thought, "Get over yourself. It's just a blog." So this is my official blog about my little guy, Jack, born August 9th of this year. I thought this would be a great way to share not only great events in Jackland but also my concerns about being a first time mom. So drum roll please....

I'm finally getting around to finishing this blog. Whew, motherhood is a busy career! I wouldn't have it any other way. Well, our new development is that Jack can now flip over. This has been bittersweet.
Of course, I'm thrilled that my baby is thriving and learning new things; however, we've worked too hard to get this sleep thing down. Now we've hit a bump. Jack likes to flip himself over at bedtime and scream.

Tonight I tried this graduated extinction method (basically I come in and check on him but I don't pick him up). Needless to say, I'm in tears and feeling very low. The whole process took thirty minutes. He is now resting peacefully. He basically has learn to put himself to sleep. I know this is just a taste of times to come. Learning is sometimes difficult and scary and I'm doing him no favors by rushing in to dry his tears. So for now I'll be waiting in the other room, broken hearted, knowing it's for the best. I'm sure I'll be doing much more of this in the future (esp. during the teenage years). The first night I put him in his crib and he drifts off on his own I'll be so proud of both of us.