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.

Play Time at the Park

Jack and I went to the park the other day for the first time for Jack to actually play instead of just watching other kids play...he's getting so big! Keeping Jack couped up in our condo all day makes both of us go a little bit nutty since he wants more space to move, and I spend my day keeping him safe from himself. Sometimes I get distracted by my to-do list around the house, but I knew I had to let the little man loose :).

The park in our neighborhood has about 4 different sections that get more and more advanced, so it's a great place for all ages. The smallest park area is probably best suited for new walkers, but Jack is old enough and has the abilities to play on some of the equipment. In the background of the first picture, you'll see some stairs that Jack was able to climb with a little assistance, and came down the slide on the other side holding my hands.
Jack was immediately drawn to the sandy area:

The desire to climb is definitely there. He already climbs everything he possibly can at home, and he made a few unsuccessful attempts at pulling himself up this:

Lately, Jack has been mimicking a lot of the stuff that we do and say. The other day Jonathan opened and closed his fist, and Jack did it right after him. I'll sing la-la-la-la to him, and he'll try to sing something similar back to me. So, while we were at the park, I was burying his feet in the sand. He would kick his feet out, and then he would bury his feet in the sand himself.

I've always loved spending time with Jack, but it gets more fun each day to do activities with him. He's such a funny and social baby, and it's great getting to know his personality better each day. I'm sure this was just the first of many days that I'll take him to the park to try to wear his little booty out.

Grandma and Grandpa Came to California

As I mentioned before, my parents came out to visit about 2 weeks ago. Last time they were out here Jack couldn't quite roll over yet, so it was a big developmental change. The week prior to their visit my dad went down to Greenville, SC on a business trip, and he stopped by Clemson to revisit old memories of my time there. While there, he picked up a few Clemson shirts for Jack. Here's Jack and Grandpa in matching Clemson gear.

Jack got a chance to get some snuggles in with Grandpa after a long day of activities.

I got a little break from the day-to-day responsibilities such as feeding Jack, because Grandma was on it :).

We of course had to hit up the beach while they were in town. Jack loves watching the waves and putting his feet in the water.

And of course Jack had to get some snuggles in with Grandma too!

We are thankful for several new two-piece pajama sets that are super cute from Grandma and Grandpa. I'm sure you'll be seeing a few pictures on the blog in the future of him in his jammies. It was a great trip, and we hope to see them out here again in November.

Little Helper

Jack turned 10 months old on Wednesday, and I can't believe how fast the time went. He is turning into such a toddler instead of an infant. I am so tired at the end of the day now with all the energy that comes out of this small person. I pretty much eat breakfast and lunch while following him around our place, because he doesn't like to sit in one spot. Instead, he likes to push and walk behind anything he can get his hands on (his walker, toy bin, high chair, desk chair, ironing board, etc.), climb the stairs, destroy toilet paper in the bathroom...you get the picture :).
I swear he can hear the dishwasher opening from a mile away and rushes over to help. I was letting him play with the dishwasher while I cooked, but the other day I left the door down for him. When I turned around from the stove he was standing on top of the door trying to pull up onto the counter top...so dangerous! (That's my mom in the picture...post to come about their visit).

As an infant, Jack didn't really like the vacuum cleaner. Things have changed, and now he loves to chase it. He was my little road block the other day while I was trying to vacuum the rug in the living room.

Due to this new level of busy-ness, we decided it was time to get serious on the baby proofing. Jack was of course there to help his dad put the locks on the cabinets and hand him tools.

Jack is very interested in walking now, and he wants you to hold his hands to help him walk everywhere. The other day I let go, and he stood there by himself for about 5 seconds before making a controlled fall onto his butt and crying. He did that twice, so I think the concept of standing by himself scared him a little bit.

Here he is walking in a shopping center courtyard:

After exerting a lot of energy, he passed out on a bike ride with Jonathan.

He recently got a new life vest from Jonathan's mom, and he finally let us put it on him. He was a little hesitant at first, but he had fun floating.

Enjoying the pool with his dad:

We've gotten Jack a few pairs of shoes recently since he's more interested in practicing walking holding onto us and various other things while we're out. When we first put this new pair on in the car, he liked playing with them like little toys.

Another fun gift is his new Jellycat Aardvark from my parents. We went out to get breakfast on a rainy day, and Jack stayed in his pjs with his stuffed animal on our outing.

Jack is much more involved in everything we do. No longer just a bystander in his baby carrier or stroller. He dipped his feet in the chilly waters, and he loves the waves!

One last thing I wanted to share...You may remember Jack's weiner lamp in his bedroom from nursery pictures before he was born.

Jonathan carried on the theme by painting Jack a weiner picture. He used a weiner dog stencil made from a picture on the internet to put together this cute little creation:

My parents came to visit us for a week recently, and I am going to do a post for that soon. Right now, there's a baby crying to get out of his crib :).

1.5 New Milestones

I can't believe I almost forgot to blog about this. I like using this blog as a record of the things that happen with Jack for my own personal memory as well, so I have to include it. Jack has never been a baby that puts things in his mouth at all. We of course take precautions to make sure there's nothing around to choke on, but I'm usually not overly concerned that he's stuffing things in his mouth. I hear and read horror stories of people's babies putting disgusting things in their mouths and always needing to be on the watch, but not at this house. Anyway, lately Jack has started putting a few more things than usual in his mouth...mostly his shirt, fingers, hat, and Sophie the teething giraffe. He looks like this a lot lately:


Nothing major, but a definite change in normal behavior. So my best guess was that he was finally starting the teething process. As I sat down to start this post, Jack pulled up on the couch next to me and smiled. I had to take a second glance, but I saw the very, very top of one of his bottom teeth just starting to break through. I'll be taking a bunch of pictures of his gummy smile in the time we have left, because I'll kind of miss it even though teeth are super cute too!

Another recent milestone is crawling, which I truly thought he would just skip right over. I believe it was August 16th or 17th of this month. As I mentioned before, he was crawling every once in a while on grass or while naked on our tile floor, but now he's using it much more regularly. He'll still drop into a commando crawl when he's accelerating to get away from me, but he crawls for most day to day stuff :). It's hard to get a picture of it, because he stops when I get my camera out, so here's the best I could do...an action shot chasing his wooden ball.

When Grammy Came to Visit

My lovely MIL, Ann Nichols, came to visit us all the way from South Carolina last week, and we had a great time. Unfortunately, a lot of her trip was spent helping me prevent dehydration and clean up disgusting diapers since Jack had a stomach bug. It was great having her help trying to force feed Jack. We were, however, able to slip in some fun and good meals out at our local French bakery (I think we went 4 times to the same place in the 4 days she was here).

Jack is a very lucky little man when his Grammy comes to town, because she showered him with some great gifts. One of my personal favorite purchases was more board books, because I was going a little nutty reading the same ones over and over again. Jonathan or I read Jack 1-2 books per night before bed, and I could read most of them without even looking at the pages. Now we have a little bit more variety to spice things up. We also found some great deals at Babies R Us on clothes since the seasons are changing, so Grammy helped beef up Jack's size 12-month wardrobe. She also got him a cute little ball cap. She actually purchased a blue one, but here's Jack trying one on at the store:
Jack's favorite gift of all arrived in the mail shortly after she left. Jack LOVES his 2 new Haba wooden block sets (Jonathan and I have fun with it too):

(Note the cute pair of shoes Jack is wearing in the above picture...little baby Crocs!)

Here's our cute guy snuggling up next to his Grammy:

Having someone always equiped with a camera was also nice, because Jonathan and I got some cute photos with Jack. It's nice to be on the other side of the camera every once and a while.

Jonathan hung out with us over the weekend when he didn't have to work, so we headed out to the beach. Like a few other blog posts, we headed to Laguna Beach again. We just never get tired of it, because it's so beautiful and has all the things we like to go to (ie 2 Starbucks).

Here's our first attempt at a Grammy beach picture with the little wiggle worm:

And one with a gorgeous back drop:

Overall, it was a great visit, and we love that she had the chance to come and hang out with Jack. He's growing up so fast, and we love that family gets to have a chance to be a part of it as often as possible. It's hard sometimes living so far away from family, but at least we live in a beautiful place people enjoy visiting.

Next up is a visit from my parents next week!