Like Father, Like Son

Jack has lots of new clothes--size 24 months for our 29 lb boy with a "generous" waist! Grandma California went shopping & sent the best, most comfortable clothes! Thank you!

Nannie made a Bob the Builder, special pillow, for Jack and he sleeps on it every night. He loves his grandparents....but wishes he could see them more often....we'll have to make the best of all the special days that we'll have together...!

More Joy....

Jack loves to see himself on the digital screen of the camera. This makes him laugh alot. I love to hear him laugh---it warms my heart! I was trying to teach Jack to take a picture...& guess what....he did...he officially pushed the button (he loves to push buttons) & took the picture of me above. It's even better than some of the ones that I take. Photography may be in his future.

Tomorrow is the UNC vs Gonzaga game---the Sweet 16! Go Tarheels!

Sick Jack

Jack still loves bathtime and it's easier to get a nice picture of him because he can't run away. That boy is busy! Today, we were off to the "urgent care"...Jack's had congestion & coughing and today, he started wheezing. His official diagnosis is "bronchiolitis"...he was negative for RSV (YIPPEE)! He's been a little irritable, but overall, he's a trooper! Antibiotics & nebulizers to the rescue!

Climbing Jack

Jack likes to climb now...at first, I laughed and thought it was cute. Now, I see a curious boy, who has no idea the danger involved. He especially likes the frig, as you can see in the picture.

I love to see him laughing!

Brushing Those Pearly Whites

Jack is now 15 months old, weighs 29 lbs, & is 34 inches tall. He now stands on a stool at the bathroom sink to wash his hands & brush his 8 teeth! We are still waiting on those 1st molars.

He had his 2nd bout of being sick this week...vomiting & diarrhea...& Mommy was at work for the worst of it. Thanks to Daddy & Kjersti..Jack was well cared for! He's feeling better & loves that the Tarheels are back to #1!

March Madness is in the air!

PS: Safety experts...Jack can get up & down on his 2 step stool but we're never far away!

Long time...No Blog

Jack enjoying some "spilled" Cheerios off of the floor...Tucker enjoys Cheerios too!

Mommy & Jack...happy together. Jack making his beginning "muscle man" pose!

Sorry to all my lurkers...one day passes into the next & posting on the blog is low on my priority list. Jack is one happy boy and usually only cries if he's hungry or tired. Well..of course, he cries for his "Mommy" when she's gone to work...not really. Daddy & Kjersti take such great care of him!

New words...cow, Mommy (instead of MaMa), moo/boo (a guess which one is which) and the beginning of ball (no L sound yet)...He can twirl around, bounce up & down (the beginning of dancing & he does have rhythm), and stomp his feet. Now, why did I try to teach him to stomp?

Life at home is good!

Abounding Happiness

The curious look...inquiring toddler minds want to know how things work by putting their little finger prints all over everything. Usually, I'm backing away.

Jack loves to get really, really close to the camera!

Jack is so...well, fun. We play together and he laughs his sweet little boy laugh and I smile that protective mother smile. I wish these wonderful days would never end (metaphorically speaking) but alas, when the evening bewitching hour begins...our boy turns into a pumpkin. It takes alot of sleep to keep him happy.

This is the tell, tell sign...give me a bath, a bottle, & rock me to sleep. My favorite moments with our boy!

Prep for March Madness

My all boy, in size 24 months! Size 18 months is too small around the middle. This is Tucker's life...staying out of Jack's way.

Jack wouldn't wear the famous wig!

This was a great week for all Tarheel fans! #3 Tarheels beat #6 Duke, in their house! The silence of the Cameron Crazies was deafening. 4-0 in their house...on their own Coach K Court....it's the real beginning of a reemergence of the Tarheel basketball dynasty!

Jack enjoyed watching his crazy Tarheel Mommy...he would not wear the wig...believe me, I tried....

Loving Blackberry Jam

Jack loves toast with his favorite (ours too, what a coincidence)...blackberry jam. Self-feeding is a long & complicated process and involved lots of after meal clean-up!

Smiles All Around

A big smile for Mommy!

The cutest boy in the world!

I know, I know...I seem to have forgotten my blogging...well, I have a new computer passion...facebook! Plus, this old Tarheel is tired b/c she's running after that fast boy. Yes, he can run now. He kisses him Mommy with a wet open-mouth & it's so, so cute! I've been trying to get a good Jack & Tucker picture...but they haven't been very cooperative.

UNC is now #1 in the ACC! YIPPEE...you know I shouldn't celebrate #4 Duke losing to #10 Clemson last night...guess what the score was? No. 10 Clemson tops No. 4 Duke 74-47 ....now that's what you call a butt-whooping! UNC plays UVA tomorrow...on to April 6th and the National Championship!

Walking Around the Sunny Farm

Isn't his matching coat/hat cute? Thanks Brook~

In case you didn't know, Jack is heavy...about 29 lbs now. So we're working on having him walk everywhere possible. On one of our rare Northwest winter sunny days, we took a walk around the farm. The gravel was initially a challenge but now it has been conquered! Sorry, there's no cute smile shots...Jack was too busy to look at us to smile....there's a world out there to explore!

Tarheel Mania

Tonight is UNC vs Clemson...at 6pm PST, you will begin to hear the hollering coming from the plateau...Jack & Tarheel88 will be watching & cheering on her team...We are up to #5 this week...who would know that Wake Forest is the new #1. The Dookies are still #3 (BOO, BOO)! Keep your fingers crossed!

Finally Eating Bananas

Actually holding a banana
& taking a bite of it~

You might be wondering what is so significant about eating bananas..they are healthy and most people like them...well....Mr. Jack took about 50 attempts to even keep some in his mouth. I had to tell myself over & over...it is not my "job" to have Jack like bananas or even eat healthy. My job as a mother (& director of nutrition) is to OFFER healthy foods. So offer I did. Over & over & over. At least 50 times. That took lots of patience and saying to him...so you didn't eat any of your bananas...that's OK, maybe next time. I would let him see me eating banana and make yum yum sounds...to tease him. It finally worked...one day, lo & behold, he actually walked over to me to take a bite of my banana.

So, I've been rewarded...he actually likes to bite the banana and even hold them now. Next we'll work on teaching him to peel his own. Tucker was my 4 legged helper through all this...he is one dog who loves banana!

Early Morning

Jack likes balls, yes throwing balls. He's not that accurate yet...but we are starting off with tennis balls which may be hard enough for a boy to break something!

On a cold dark morning, I'm typing softly. I hear Jack talking in his crib. He's awake, but I don't want him to know that I'm awake. It's 6 something AM. Jack is a morning person, like his mother. He's happiest in the morning. Sometimes, he goes back to sleep for an hour. A glorious hour...all you mothers of young kids know why I use the word glorious. A free hour!

It's been 3 minutes since he's said anything. A couple more minutes and I'll know that he is back asleep. I'm half way through my cup of coffee, so it really doesn't matter either way. I only need a few minutes to wake up and I'm ready to get going on my day.

Tonight is UNC vs Miami. Listen carefully, off in the distance, you may hear a happy, southern scream as we are winning...that will be from 6-8 PST!

It's been 5 minutes now...YIPPEE...he's asleep, what will I do with myself?

Random Musings

So, so sorry to all the blog watchers...I have no picture~! Can you believe it...no picture of precious Jack. You see, I'm on "pill hill, 6th floor" and no where near that big, black Nikon. Yes, work, I'm talking about. So my random musings about Jack will have to suffice for tonight.

Our boy is almost running around. I can lose him in the house now. I have to be very quiet (hard for a loud Tarheel fan) and listen. If it's quiet, something ain't right (a Southernism). We're working on holding hands and walking b/c my elbow (tennis, I've researched) is now hurting when I pick him up for several days in a row. My work shifts help my elbow recover...even picking up the rare 9 lb baby seems very, very light.

He loves getting into & back out of his new green wagon. He loves shutting doors. He has started climbing (very discouraged by Mom) and he first tried to climb up the drawers in the frig. He helps me do laundry by pushing the basket (every day I'm off b/c I'm OCD) and he loves to wrestle & fall down into the comforter. If I say, "1, 2, 3"..he will fall down on his back so I can "pin" him! He still likes to disassemble every night light and he drinks his "water" from my empty coffee mugs. He's just the sweetest thing that I ever seen...you know, a sight for sore eyes....Wow...I still have 17 years and 5 months of joy before he graduates from high school!

Jack & his friend Talon

The Boys Go Out to Eat

Jack's smiling but Talon's eyes are closed.
Talon's nice smile!

Jack & Talon are friends and as they get older, they are going to enjoy more "boy" time together. Fishing & hanging out with Dad are going to be a favorite activities. I'm smiling right now thinking this will me some free time for me.

More of Walking Jack

Yes, he walks all over the place and you will usually find either a Mommy or Daddy following close behind. Poor, poor Tucker has to move quicker to stay out of Jack's way. Sometimes, late at night, when Tucker is between us in the big bed, and Jack is sleeping soundly in his crib...I believe that Tucker forgets he is mildly irritated to have a little brother.

Nannie Came; Jack Walked

Jack walking in front of the Christmas tree! Note his proud smile...

Looking at the snow with Nannie

Love at it's best!

Last time when Nannie came (Tarheel88's Mom), she taught Jack to roll over--both ways! This time, she taught Jack to WALK! Yes, on 12/27, Jack started to walk all around the house after Nannie set up stations for him to practice. Now, there's no stopping him. As Emeril says, "Kick it up a notch"...that's how my eyes feel, b/c I'm always scanning the environment to see what he is doing.

Winter Wonderland

Chris & Jack
All Smiles!

Wow, the snow was a winter wonderland but the roads were like scarey icecapades & Jack loved to look out of the window at it....but he wasn't too keen on being very cold, but his new John Deer sweatshirt helped keep him warm.

Merry Christmas

Happy Holidaze 2008
“What a year it has been.” thought the big red dog, while he licked his chops. He thought of how much his life had changed since he had to share his little girl and little boy with a new baby, named Jack Christopher, born last year on December 3, 2007. Sometimes he didn’t like sharing them because he had been their one and only big red dog, but his heart understood when he saw the love in their eyes for their two-legged son. Baby Jack had grown from a 7 lb little baby to a 27 lb big boy, who crawls around fast and would soon be walking. The little girl and the little boy did their best to help baby Jack learn to play nice with the big red dog, but sometimes he had to run away from Jack to get some peace & quiet. The big red dog didn’t really mind, because he believed them when they told him what a good boy he was and how he was a very smart big red dog, smarter than even some one-year-old two-legged boys!
Life for the little girl and the little boy was very different now. They were busy helping their baby Jack grow and learn and taking good care of him. It was hard work but love helped them grow more patient and persistent. Their happiness had never been as great as it was when they looked into their handsome boy’s face. Of course, the little boy still helped protect the good people from the bad people and the little girl still helped sick babies get better but now it was much better. Because when they came home, not only was the big red dog waiting for them, but their baby Jack was there too…either angelically sleeping or waiting at the window with a big welcome home smile!
As Christmas time approached, the big red dog thought about his wish list as he stretched out to sleep in a rare sunny patch. He wondered if 2009 could possibly be even happier than last year and he hoped he could learn how to play with a one year old. Of course, he wished for more salami and hoped Jack kept dropping his food onto the floor from his high chair for him to eat. He thought about how grateful the little girl and the little boy were for Jack, their dream come true. When he saw the twinkle in their eyes, he knew they wanted to keep making happy memories with Jack, their boy that they loved so much. He knew there was enough room in their hearts to love both a four-legged and a two-legged son!
So each night on their little Northwest farm, you’ll find the little girl or the little boy rocking baby Jack in his nursery while the big red dog waits patiently behind the chair. After Jack is sleeping soundly in his crib, the big red dog gets a special pet if he hasn’t shaken his head and disturbed Jack with the sound of his flapping ears. Either way, they all go get into the big bed together and the big red dog still believes he has the best life that a big red dog could have…still sleeping between his little girl and his little boy!
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to you & your family!