18 Month Update and Much More

It's been over 3 months since my last blog post, so I figure it's about time to do some catching up.  So much has happened, and Jack has developed so much that I'll do the best I can to sum it all up.

About 3 months ago, Jonathan's friend Chris was nice enough to buy Jack a train set since Jack was addicted to playing with a train set at a local toy store that we go to once in a while.  He would throw a tantrum every time we made him leave the store, so Chris decided to buy Jack his own.  Jonathan spent about 3-4 hours, if I remember correctly, in the garage putting it together so Jack could be surprised with it when he woke up the next morning.

It was a huge hit, and Jack had a great time with it.  More recently, however, he started trying to take it apart and liked to climb on top of the train table more often.  The picture below is the first morning that he had it.  The train set is still inside our house, but we removed most of the tracks to give it a little break.  We're going to reintroduce it in a few weeks thinking it might be more exciting after taking a break from it.

Jack has become quite the little helper around the house.  Sometimes his "helping" is a little counterproductive for us, but it's fun to see him wanting to help with things.  He enjoys watering the plants with Jonathan once Jonathan gets home from work in the evenings.

He also likes to help me carry groceries in from the car.  I need to get a picture of this just for my own memory, because it is so cute.  I'll usually give him either the lightest bag or a light item if all of the bags are pretty heavy.  Yesterday he carried his bag of chicken nuggets in from the car for me.  He is also very good at throwing his trash away just in the past few days.  He'll throw away his empty fruit/veggie packs. On a walk yesterday, he picked up a Gatorade bottle, brought it home, and he threw it in the trash :). 

We recently signed up for Gymboree classes, and Jack is loving it!  It's a good way for him to get his energy out and socialize with other kids his age.  He's in the 16-22 month class, so everyone is basically on the same skill level.  It's also a great way to do something park-like without having to stand in the sun.

                                                 

They do different activities that teach various skills such as Stop and Go and On and Off.  They use the equipment, play, and music to learn.  Jack started off as a careful observer, and now he is getting into the activities a little more.
                                                  

Jack went to his first baseball game recently.  Jonathan won tickets to an Anaheim Angels game, so we decided it would be a good time to go.  Of the two hours we were there, Jack spent all of about 20 minutes in his seat.  We got one picture of him sitting nicely looking less than amused haha.

The rest of the time was spent running around concessions and out in a grassy area that had a stage nearby.

One of Jack's favorite pastimes is bike rides.  Sometimes after work and on the weekends, Jonathan will take Jack out on a bike ride in his trailer.  Jack likes to listen to music on Jonathan's iphone, eat snacks, and take in the scenery.

Jack also really likes the carousel.  There is a place here called the Orange County Great Park that has a free carousel and a little park for kids.  We went over the weekend just to get out of the house, and Jack got to ride on the carousel with only minor assistance.

He started off clinging on for dear life with his arms wrapped around the pole, but he got comfortable with it really quickly.  In the past, one of us has stood next to him, but we both rode separate horses next to him this time.

About 2 weeks ago Jack went for his 18-month check-up.  I forgot to grab the exact stats from the doctor, but I do know Jack was just over 24 lbs.  I'll have to get those from the doctor the next time we're there and include it in his 2-year update for comparison.  Overall, he was in the 25th percentile for weight, 50th percentile for height, and 75th percentile for head circumference.  I remember that, because it was just funny that his head is so much bigger in the percentiles than everything else.

As far as some of the other things going on with our family lately, we put it out to the Facebook world on Mother's Day that we are expecting baby number 2.  In the picture we posted I was 14 weeks, 2 days pregnant:

I started showing quite a bit earlier this time than with Jack, and I continue to look farther along than I did when pregnant with Jack.  My due date is November 9, which is funny since my due date with Jack was November 10.  We have our ultrasound next Thursday, June 7th to hopefully find out if it is a boy or a girl.  That will probably end up being my next blog post!  Around the 16 week mark I started to feel the first little movements, which is definitely fun.  I will be 17 weeks tomorrow!

Jonathan and I also celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary on May 24th.  We just went out for dinner at a casual Italian restaurant 5 minutes from home and brought along our little third wheel :).  I wouldn't have it any other way since for us I feel like anniversaries are more of a time to reflect on the life we have created together (which includes Jack) rather than for romance.

Here's our crazy little man enjoying himself at dinner.  Waiting for our food he pretty much just ran around and climbed chairs.  We chose to sit outside since no one else was sitting out there.

I just wanted to include this last picture, because I thought it was so sweet.  Jack and I went out to lunch today with my friend Jen and her daughter Catherine who is 15 months old.  They were so sweet playing together, and they would stop and "talk" to each other once in a while.

 I think that hits most of the major points in the past 3 months.  Until next time...

15 Month Update

Besides being Valentine's Day, today is Jack's 15-month birthday. We went to the doctor this past Thursday for his wellness visit, so we have the updated stats:

Height: 31 inches
Weight: 22 lbs., 2 oz.
Head Circumference: 18.5 inches

It's kind of interesting seeing how his growth rate has slowed down quite a bit now that he is over a year old.  His weight actually decreased a few ounces in the past 3 months.

Jack was entertained in the waiting room by his all time favorite item, a truck. We spend a lot of time watching these around the neighborhood and chasing them down the street. He also loves playing with them around the house. Such a boy!

While waiting for the doctor, Jack made sure to explore every nook and cranny of the room. He opened every draw, pushed around every stool and chair, and played with all of the toys and books. Doctor visits are much different than the infant days.

Self-feeding is a big focus in our house right now, and it's great to be done with jarred baby food (besides puree fruit and veggie packs). As I mentioned in my last blog, Jack is a ridiculously picky eater. Yesterday I gave him chicken, and he put it in his mouth and immediately spit it out. I've tried chicken nuggets both baked and fried, rotisserie chicken, grilled chicken...it doesn't matter, he won't eat it. Really any meat is rejected. He has also liked eggs in the past, but he refuses to put them in his mouth now.

So, typical meals are:

Breakfast- Waffles along with oatmeal with yogurt and apple sauce, and a few bites of banana. He eats surprisingly large breakfasts.

Lunch is normally grilled cheese, a fruit and veggie pack, and the rest of the earlier banana or apple slices.

Dinner is usually whatever we can get him to eat of what we are eating, yogurt, and apple slices and/or a fruit and veggie pack.

I'm hoping through continually introducing new things, and sneaking things like meat and veggies into the things he likes, we can broaden his food experience. Jonathan and I love food, so you would think Jack would too. Someday...

Jack has also always lacked interest in sippy cups. A few times here or there he would take a few sips, but he usually just slams them on the ground until the liquid comes out, and then he rubs the liquid all over the floor. The pediatrician said some kids just never want to do the sippy cup thing, and we should just work with him on using a normal cup. My mother-in-law, Ann, said the same thing, so we are now just working with him on using a cup. We started off giving him his cup in the bath tub so he could practice. We would fill it up with fresh water, and he actually did really well immediately. Now I've started introducing it at meals with water so that the mess doesn't matter. He likes it a lot, and he drinks whenever Jonathan or I drink at meal time.

Jack is a wild man, and I caught a rare glimpse of him just relaxing and munching on some snacks I thought was cute:

As far as current milestones, he learns something new every day it seems.

Words he says include: Izzy, Doggy, Hi, Bye, Car, Ball, and Uh-Oh. Uh-oh was funny for a while, but now he throws stuff down like my phone or other fragile items and says uh-oh. Sometimes he says Mama or Dada, but they're never directed at us.

Body parts he identifies: Head and feet. We're working on tummy.

Skills: He can step up one step and down one step without holding onto something. He usually does hold on, but he has done it by himself as well. He loves to run, and this includes running away from us. Sometimes we let him out of the stroller or off of his trike, and he basically jogs along side of it. He likes to be chased, and he runs away from Izzy holding her ball. He throws over hand, and this usually includes throwing Izzy's ball for her over and over again. I'm sure I'm missing a bunch, but those are the ones that come to mind.

Helping: He will clean up his blocks sometimes, and he likes doing it the most if I sing the clean up song we learned at The Little Gym. He likes to push the button to open and close the garage door. It actually comes in handy when I'm holding him in one arm and groceries in the other. He rides in the big part of the cart at the grocery store, because that's the only way he stays happy the whole time. The other day I was loading groceries in the back of the car, and he handed me bags. I wish I could have gotten a picture, because each time I loaded one and turned back around, he was standing there holding one up for me to grab.

Following requests: He will get his shoes (if they are in sight) and bring them to me when I ask. If Jonathan or I ask for a hug or a kiss, he will come give us one (if he feels like it). If I tell him to give Izzy a hug or a kiss, he will (if she lets him). He knows the main ones like, "come here," "not for Jack," "throw the ball," etc.

Fine motor skills: He picks up small pieces of things on the ground, which isn't my favorite but it's good he can do it. He has good hand eye coordination for feeding himself, giving high five, putting a straw into the lid of a drink the right way. He loves to build and tear down blocks. He can stack three blocks. He has tried to do four, but it tips over, because he doesn't have them lined up quite well enough.

I just wanted to share this picture, because I thought it was funny. Each morning Jack comes out and greets Izzy with a hug and/or kiss. He tried to kiss her on the cheek this morning, but she tries to ward him off by kissing him back. So sweet :)

I had to share this picture, because it made me laugh when I walked in and saw them. First off, I was impressed Jack could even sit in a chair by himself, but the like father, like son nature of this was hilarious to me.

Thanks for catching up with us, and I'll leave you with a picture of Jack enjoying a California winter day...

A Much Needed Update

I'm finally getting around to a much needed blog update. I've been a little bit lazy about taking pictures and videos in general, so I need to get back on track.

The only major update with us is that we have moved yet again. We can't seem to stay in any residence for over a year, and this year is no different. We still live in Irvine, but we needed to find a new place since the landlord in our previous place had to move in herself due to financial issues. It was a mildly stressful month getting everything packed up while also leaving the place set up enough to keep Jack comfortable and relaxed. We didn't even touch his bedroom until the evening before the move, and it was the first thing we put back together once we got into our new place. His new room pretty much looks identical to his old room, so he didn't even skip a beat in his great sleeping habits when we moved.

Jack actually got a lot of good play time during the move. He loved playing in the boxes, and he tried to pull things out of boxes as quickly as I put them in.
We put our mattress in the dining area the night before the move, and Jack LOVED it. He would climb up onto the futon and swan dive onto the mattress.

One of the major benefits to our new place compared to our last place is that we now have a large porch. Our old place didn't have any outdoor space, so we couldn't grill or relax outside. That's a huge drawback when you live in Southern California. Jack likes to go out, walk around, and chase Izzy.

Jack continues to be his crazy, energetic self. He has always been fun, but play time gets better every day. He's so much more interactive and participates really well. He loves stacking blocks, driving his dump truck around, playing "where's Jack" behind the curtain/couch/divider walls, and reading lots and lots of books. I was at Target the other day, and found these maracas in the $1 section. He loves to shake them and then throw them down as well as dance when we shake them.

For Christmas Jack got a 3-in-1 Kettler Trike. Whenever we're in the garage, he points at it and let's us know he wants a ride. Right now we push and steer it, but around 2 years old you take the pusher off of it, and he rides it on his own. He currently rides it for about 5-10 minutes and then wants to get off and push it himself. We end up taking 1/4 to 1/2 mile walks with him pushing it pretty much the whole way.

Jack is becoming more independent in feeding himself these days, so we decided to be real adults and finally get a kitchen table. We have pretty much always eaten in front of the tv, but we want to teach Jack good habits and social interactions while eating meals, so it was time to make a change.

Since getting the table over the weekend, his self-feeding skills have made huge strides. This morning he ate cinnamon waffles on his own. He also practiced using his spoon to eat some oatmeal and yogurt. For lunch he ate a grilled cheese sandwich. That makes for a happy mom since all he has wanted to eat recently is fruit and veggie puree packs and yogurt. He's very particular about what he wants to eat and when, so we're just trying to stay really consistent and continue to make attempts at Jack trying new things.

The other night as I was cooking dinner, I served things onto his tray for him to try. He ended up eating carne asada, butternut squash, avacado, and tomatoes. I know a good eater is in him somewhere.

Jack does love his snacks. I think part of his not wanting to sit and eat a meal is that he wants to go, go, go. He just likes to snack while on the move for the most part. I love watching him walk around with his little snack trap munching away. His molars are coming in now, so I'll start putting a little bit more variety in there once I can be confident he can chew well enough not to choke while running around.

He also loves snacking on apple slices with his dad.

And, of course, french fries. Who doesn't like french fries?! If you are from Chicago, you know about Portillos. It is the best hot dog place in Chicago, and my mom told me they opened one in California. I have no idea why there is only one outside of the Chicago area, but I couldn't be more excited that it is 20 minutes from where we live. Jack got to have his first Portillos experience.

Jack has his 15-month doctor appointment next week (yet to be scheduled, but it will happen). I'm going to try to get some more pictures of Jack being Jack this week to post with his updated growth stats.

Thanks for catching up with us!!

Our Little Guy is 1!

This past Monday was Jack's first birthday. I can't believe it's been a whole year since we met this sweet, sweet new baby:

It feels like the time has flown by but that we've known him forever at the same time.

Even though it felt like just another day for Jack, we had a great time on his birthday. My parents were in town to celebrate with us, and Jack loved having more people around to play with him. He and my dad spent a lot of time playing with blocks. Grandpa built them up, and Jack tore them down :).

My mom and Jack got some good snuggle time in each morning while I got to sleep in a little bit.

After Jack's morning nap, we opened presents since that is the peak of his mood and activity level during the day. He did a great job tearing the paper!

Jack really enjoyed all of his gifts, and we made sure to hide the last one before opening the next one so that he could focus on each individual gift.

Jonathan and I bought Jack the Howdy Cow. It's an inflatable cow that you can bounce on. He's a little young for it, but kids up to age 6 are supposed to get a lot of enjoyment out of it. Right now he pushes it over and sits on it trying to bounce even though his feet don't touch the ground.

After gifts we headed out to the beach so Jack could utilize his new walking skills in the sand. It was a little chilly, but he had a great time with his dad running out towards the water and splashing in the shallow part of the waves.

Jack is not even kind of afraid of the water. When you put him down, he was off! He looks a little bit like baby Frankenstein walking with his arms out :).

I ordered cupcakes for his birthday dessert. They were super cute, and the little medalion is made out of white chocolate.

Jack was not a huge fan of the cupcake. He tried a few bites, but he wasn't that interested.

He did munch on the white chocolate a little bit, though.

Even though Jack didn't want his cupcake, his mother is a cupcake fiend so I made sure to eat both of ours!

All the excitement and people in the house got Jack revved up, so he stayed up later than normal. We got one last family photo before the little man went to bed.

In the background is his new solar system mobile from Jonathan's friend, Chris.

The day after Jack's birthday we went to the doctor for his 1-year appointment. Here are the updated stats:

Height: 30.5 inches (75th percentile)

Weight: 22 lbs., 10 oz. (50th percentile)

Head Circumference: 18.1 inches (50th percentile)

It's amazing how he has almost tripled his weight in only one year!!

Recent Milestones:

Jack took his first steps on 11/8/11 and was officially walking on 11/9/11

He feeds himself food sometimes (yogurt bites, baby mum mums, etc.), but he also still likes to be fed and eat out of fruit and veggie puree packets

Jack says "hi, bye, doggy, Izzy, and dada"
He mimics pretty much everything that we do and our tone when we say words

He also mimics Izzy by growling when she growls

Jack dances to us singing, cds, commercials, and any other time he hears music

He is constantly pointing at things (trees, lights, fans, trucks, and buses are the top objects he points at)

Major Interests:

Jack could pretty much spend his entire day at the park playing in the sand, climbing, and coming down the slides

He loves the beach, and he flaps his arms when the waves come up to him

Jack's favorite book is 'Snuggle Puppy' by Sandra Boynton

Jack likes classic rock, Sandra Boynton storybook cds, and Baby Einstein classical music cds

His favorite shows to watch while I drink coffee and wake up are Little Einstein and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
He eats Baby Mum Mum Veggie sticks like they're going out of style

His favorite food is yogurt, both regular and frozen

Jack is super loving and stops in the middle of activities and walking to give hugs before continuing on with what he is doing

He loves shutting himself in our closet and going through our bathroom drawers

I think that covers all the major stuff. For those who don't get to see Jack all of the time, it's just a glimpse into who he is :).

Playing Catch Up- Halloween

I'm a little behind on posting, but I wanted to share some Halloween pictures of our cute little monkey.

Overall, we are not a huge Halloween-celebrating family, but we still wanted to get Jack into costume for his first Halloween. We had the best intentions this year to carve a pumpkin. We went to a pumpkin patch at Mariners Church to pick one out, but this is as far as we got with it:

It's more of a fun toy for Jack...haha. Oh well, maybe next year when Jack is a little bit more interested in pumpkin carving.

Jayne and Zack (my sister-in-law and newest brother-in-law), came out to visit us right before Halloweeen. Jayne captured this fun photo :). Jack looks less than amused.

On Halloween my Stroller Strides class had a play date after the workout where the kids dressed up in their costumes and trick-or-treated to all the strollers in a circle. Everyone brought little treats for the kids and moms. Jack had a great time, and he tolerated the costume really well even though it was a little warm outside. All the kids were so cute, and it was a great way to get toddler/baby friendly treats and stickers.

Instead of going door-to-door, we decided to go get frozen yogurt and just walk around the neighborhood to see all the older kids in their costumes. We still got our fill of candy on top of our frozen yogurt. Plus, Jack loves frozen yogurt, and he can't do much with the candy.

It actually turned out to be a great, relaxing night for the family. We're looking forward to next year when Jack will be running around the neighborhood screaming trick-or-treat at people.

No Rest for the Weary

Each night I go to bed knowing that I have to get my rest for the following day, because this is what I do all day long...chase down the little billy goat that will not give up on the stairs. When we make eye contact, he laughs and takes off up the stairs so I can chase him. The plus to all this stair time is that he has figured out how to come down the stairs as well (feet first on his stomach). We still have to watch him carefully, though, because he also likes to come down face first every once in a while. I know you may be thinking 'why not just get a baby gate,' but it's a super wide staircase to find a gate for, and he loves the stairs!

I also spend a good portion of the day cleaning up this mess. Jack loves going into the cabinets, so we put child locks on most of them. We left this one open so that he had something to hunt in. Once he loses interest and crawls away, I clean it up. However, I don't think he wants it put away since he comes right back to mess it up again for fun.

My dad was in town last weekend for a business trip and stayed over for two nights. He and Jack had some fun at the mall's coy pond.

While at the mall we were looking at fall clothing for Jack. I couldn't help myself looking at all the cute kids' Halloween costumes :)

Jack and I were at the grocery store earlier this week, and they were handing out balloons for the kids. Thank goodness for this balloon, because it kept him occupied for our whole grocery trip. Usually I'm trying to keep him from trying to climb out of the cart or grabbing produce.

On occasion we are looking for new fun things to add to the nursery. I found these cute subliminal message pictures online, and then made a trip to Ikea with Jack where I found the perfect frames. This was a fun little DIY project that's hanging over his crib now. I was hoping Jack would get the hint about what we expect from him...jk :)

We had our first rainy, chilly day here in California in a while, and I was sooo excited. It made it feel like it's actually fall instead of forever summer. Jack and I got into our snuggly/comfy clothes, and Jack looked so cute all bundled up.

Today we took a family trip to the beach, and it was the perfect day. Low 70s and sunny with a nice breeze off the ocean...it doesn't get much better. Jack enjoyed some time at the park right on the beach. He is a true lover of sand!

Jack and I braved the chaos of the older kids playing and crawled through one of the tubes on the playground, and we went down the slide.

Developmentally, Jack will walk with us holding just one of this hands now on a consistent basis. The other day my hand slipped out of his, and his momentum carried him forward for 2 steps on his own before he sat down and cried. So he's still a little apprehensive about the independent walking. His favorite finger food is the HappyBellies cheddar/carrot puffs that look like mini Cheetos and taste a little bit like the blander version of Cheetos. He loves to empty any drawer he can get to, especially the lower drawers in the bathrooms. And if you give him the opportunity, he darts for the toilet paper roll and tries to pull all of the toilet paper off and tear it into pieces. Oh, and he likes to play tug-of-war with Izzy's rope, but Izzy still does not want to play with him as much as he wants to play with her.

Fun Parenting Survey

I found this parenting survey while I was looking at babycenter.com this evening, and I thought I would share it. It's a fun way to reflect on life as a parent!

1. How long have you been a Mom? It will be 11 months in 6 more days!

2. How many children called you (or will call you) Mommy? 1

3. How old were you when you became a Mom? 26

4. How long were you in labor? 23 hours before a c-section

5. What's your favorite thing about being a mom? There are a ton of things to like, but I would say the special bond I have with Jack and he has with me that you can't understand until you experience it.

6. What's your least favorite thing about being a mom? Not being able to sleep in every once in a while and eating breakfast and lunch while standing up following Jack around.

7. Do you want more kids? Yes.

8. Do you plan on having more soon? Not really sure when.

9. Does daddy change diapers? Yes! Being the one who stays at home, my numbers are much higher, but he does change them when he's home. He changed far more than I did the first 2 weeks Jack was born.

10. How many times have you been peed on? I don't think I've ever been hit, and he's only peed once in front of me on the changing table. I think Jonathan got peed on once a long time ago. I did get pooped on once when I got in the bath tub with him...easy clean-up though!!

11. Barfed on? I've been spit up on a bunch, but I think I've only had him barf on me once.

12. Is your child named after anyone? His middle name is the same as Jonathan's middle name, and it's Jonathan's dad's name (Steven).

13. How did you come up with his name? We just spent several months throwing out a bunch of names, and Jackson was the one that stuck.

14. When your child gets in trouble, who is the bad guy? He doesn't really get in true trouble yet, but I'm thinking I'll probably be the bad guy.

15. And who is the good guy? It will probably be Jonathan, because he is more of a free spirit :)

16. What is the longest you have been away from your child? A couple hours.

17. Bedtime routine? Yes. We usually start turning all the loud distractions off and turn down the lights, diaper, pjs, book, bottle, and bed.

18. Are your toes painted? No...not a priority for me when I have free time :). I'll work on it, though.

19. Last movie you saw in the theatre? Iron Man 2 when I was in my 3rd trimester. I fell asleep sitting straight up with my mouth open for an hour during the loudest parts of the movie.

20. Last time you had a date? A month and a half ago when my parents were in town. We ran out to Target together for like 30 minutes 2 weeks ago when my dad was in town and Jack was sleeping for the night.

21. One thing you will not give up just because you're a mom? It's hard to think of something. I guess working out, but I just find things to do where I can bring Jack along like Stroller Strides classes.

22. One thing you did give up now that you're a mom? Working, which has its pros and cons.

23. Best mom perk? People are so nice to you, and they always smile at you when you're with your baby.

24. When he's napping, you are? Usually cleaning and/or showering.

25. If I could do it over, I'd do this differently. I wouldn't have let myself get so overwhelmed with the small stuff when Jack was first born, and I would have tried to enjoy things more. Difficult stages pass so quickly, and I try really hard just to be in the moment and enjoy it now.

26. What is the craziest thing you have said/done/taught since becoming a mom? Probably just making weird sounds and faces in public to keep him entertained.

27. What did you think would be different about being a parent? I thought that once your child started sleeping through the night, they would always sleep through the night. It has surprised me that things like teething, wanting to spend time with you, or other developmental things interrupt sleep as much as they do. Just when you think you'll be getting a full night's sleep all the time, babies throw a curve ball.