Nifty Gifties

Jack was sufficiently spoiled this Christmas. I already feel sorry for any other children we have. They'll get Jack's old toys for Christmas. We gave him an all terrain wagon. We'll all have fun cruising the neighborhood in this pimped out ride.




My dad made Jack & Connor amazing easels with a chalkboard on one side & a place to hang paper & draw on the other. At first Jack was more interested in climbing inside the easel, but got very excited once he figured out how the chalk worked.




And, the hit of Christmas is this tunnel from Jeff & Marcy. Welcome to our house of fun!

Blond boys

This is Jack & his cousin Connor looking pretty cute!

Our New House

We're all moved in & mostly unpacked. Just don't look in our basement. It looks like a box explosion. I didn't realized when John was throwing empty boxes down the basement stairs that he wasn't later breaking them down. Oops... Enjoy the photos!


The stockings were hung by the chimney with care...






Our newly painted kitchen






Jack's room

Home Sweet Home

We are officially moved in to our new house! We are living in boxes of course. I never knew how great it was to have a basement. It makes all of the clutter just disappear.

Jack has no idea what's going on, so it's been tantrum city over here. The Charter guy just got to view a full fledged 30 minute tantrum complete with arms & legs kicking. He'll adjust soon. The two of us are going a little stir crazy having to wait around the house all day for service men that may or may not show up. So, feel free to pop in- we'll be here!

Bye-bye 7131 Amherst

This is the current state of our apartment. Boxes & boxes, lots more to pack & movers arriving at 8:00 tomorrow morning. Every time we move (and that's been 5 times in as many years) I'm amazed at how much stuff we have. Stuff we don't need. At least now we'll have a basement in which to store all that stuff. I've vowed to weed things out as I unpack this time. So, come spring be prepared to venture over to our killer garage sale.

Jack left with his grandma this morning. I'd been looking forward to doing some hard core packing, but haven't gotten as much done as I had hoped. I think I'm more productive when Jack is around keeping me company. I always look forward to the quiet, but when I have it, I don't quite know what to do with myself & feel as if my favorite little friend is missing.

My motherhood failures...

You know things are bad if Jack has the paci. Not just bad, terrible. This is a daytime sight that is never seen in our home. Jack with the paci. It's for sleeping only. Not today. I gave in. The incessant screaming over the past few days became too much for me to handle.

If you know me, you know my disdain for the pacifier. I hate it. Really, really hate it. I think I'm as fixated on hating it as Jack is on sucking on it. I see kids running around with pacis in their mouths & it turns my stomach. It really does. I think because I fear that Jack is still going to want it when he's 3 and 4 and 5. And, it makes me mad that a little piece of plastic somehow offers him more comfort than his mother who grew him & nursed him & hugs him & loves him. I wonder if it's akin to smoking for babies. I wonder if kids gain weight when the paci is taken away like people do when they stop smoking.

As you can see from my paci rant, it's been a horrible morning. I went to a women's group at church and had to leave early with Jack, stopping to sob in the bathroom for about 10 minutes on my way out. And then in the car. And then at home. He's been a crank for the past few days. I'm wondering if those 2 year molars are already making their way to the surface, because he just cries & whines & fusses all day long. Or he could be bored. Or just out of sorts. Our house is in boxes & we spent the weekend shuffling around between friends & family due to the power outage (during which all of our food spoiled!). Maybe he just senses our stress. I wish he could tell me.

I really love Jack & don't like to complain. I love spending time with him, but when we have a few days like this in a row I tend to lose my fragile grip on reality!

So, I've been self medicating with Diet Dr. Pepper & if we had chocolate, I would be eating that too. In fact, if I knew of a box in which I had packed some chocolate, I would find the box & dig it out.

My boys

This is, by far, the best photo I've captured in a long time. We spent the night at my brother's house. Jack & John slept until 8 am!! It almost looks as though they're faking sleep for the camera.

Nomads, Saints & Indians

We spent the past few days being nomads due to the ice storm & consequent power outage. We spent the day with the Gordons, much to the delight of Elliot & Jack (and mama) and had a slumber party at my brother's house. We also spent some time in the snow. Enjoy the photos!




Jack loved being pulled around on the sled.




The boys sledding together.




I think this is a funny photo because it appears Jack has pushed Elliot over in the snow. In this case, that is not the truth, although Jack has been known to push & pull & bite Elliot at other times, just not this one.



Jack decided that Elliot needed a little snack.




And, after trying their hand at some cage fighting, our visit was complete!

I spy...

I bought Jack his own little step stool. He enjoyed watching the men in our front yard blowing leaves.



In other news, the past two nights Jack has slept through the night- waking up close to seven both mornings!! These are the first full nights since Easter. He teased us by sleeping through the night for a month & then got sick & it all ended. I guess my threats of Sleep-camp have him scared...(see below for a preview of sleep-camp images. There's some heavy labor involved). Sleep-camp, fun for the whole family.

Souper soup

This is what happens when you give babies soup. You should see the floor!

Our terrible, horrible, no good, very bad trip to the zoo

These pictures give you a good idea of how much fun our trip to the zoo was today. Be glad you can't hear the soundtrack that accompanied them!

I thought, how fun! We'll go to the zoo today! It's not too cold, the sun is shining & Jack will get to see some animals. I really wanted to see the elephants, big cats & bears.

Here is a summary of our trip:
Minutes Jack was happy in his new stroller- 5
Minutes Jack would have been happy in his old stroller- about 5 seconds...at least we're making some progress
Things Jack enjoyed- sitting in a tunnel eating a granola bar (as pictured below), digging in the dirt along the path, climbing into the zoo keeper's golf carts

Things Jack didn't enjoy- riding in the stroller, walking, being carried, being taken out of the zoo keeper's golf carts
Favorite activity of the afternoon- going in and out of the automatic door approximately 50 times (we need to get one of these in our new house just to keep him entertained!)
Domestic animals viewed- 2 the guinea pigs & bunny rabbits
Real zoo animals viewed- zero
Places Jack cried- in the stroller, in the car seat, in my arms
Places mommy cried- in the car

That being said, we are going to say the culprits of this zoo trip & sour mood are teeth, not my sweet boy. It doesn't help that I think he was a bit tired...

Winter Gear

This is Jack's winter attire. He's the coolest kid on the block. Yes, the sleeves of his parka zip off, just like 1988.

Hard truths...

This week I learned a hard truth. Moms don't get sick days. I've felt bad the past few days, but my boss wouldn't let me off work.

Yesterday started off with Jack & I going to church where he threw a tantrum in the nursery because he thought I was going to leave him (I wasn't) & then he yelled at me while I was trying to put him in his carseat. Followed by lunch where he didn't eat anything, he just squished it all in his hands and then he laid down under the table and threw another tantrum (complete with kicking & pounding on the floor for dramatic effect) while I sat and watched. I guess Jack needed a sick day too.

Needless to say, we were both ready for John to get home!

Vadar baby!

Jack survived us being gone for 4 nights just fine & so did the grandparents. I think it was more traumatic for me than for him. He slept better for our parents than he ever does for us!

Here is a sweet photo of Jack having a bedtime snack tonight. I'm glad to be back with my cuddly little boy. And, I love his new shirt.

Parenting gone crazy...

Jack had his 15 month check-up the other day. They asked if he could identify 2-3 body parts. I said yes, he can identify 3. And then I got very, very worried that the doctor was going to ask which ones. Watch the video & you'll see why. I swear we didn't mean to teach him this...

Jack's New Trick

Enjoy Jack's new trick. He does this over and over.

We had a great day. He was feeling better today than he has in a few weeks. His teeth must not hurt so much. We played this morning with friends & then met with our realtor in the afternoon to go over our inspection. We close on the house on the 22nd of this month. That's so soon! And we'll own a home!!

Daylight Savings Mayhem

I sure do wish babies could tell time. It would make things a lot easier. They would wake up and say- "5:30! That's too early! Time to go back to sleep for another hour or two!" The good news is that Jack didn't wake up super early this morning. He was up around 6:20, earlier than normal, but not still the middle of the night.

The WEIRD news is that when I went to the church nursery to get him, he was passed out on the floor, sound asleep. He was right by the door on his back with his arms spread out & I thought, uh....does anyone notice that my child isn't moving?? Is he breathing? And, most importantly, where the heck did he get that pacifier? (I'm the paci nazi...worried that Jack will be 16 and still want the paci...) Poor kid was so tired from the time change that he dug through the diaper back, found a paci & laid down and went to sleep. He was sniffling while he was sleeping because he had been crying. What a sweetie.

I only wish I had my camera with me so I could take a photo of the weird sight!

Jack's Dance Party!!

Jack decided to throw a dance party. And, as you can see, quickly became bored & moved on to more exciting activities.

Happy Halloween from the Hendrix Family

Okay...so it's not Halloween yet, but I like this picture. We were trying to pose Jack & Connor in their matching costumes. This is the result. And, I think I look quite fetching with pink hair. It might be a permanent change.

Grinch, Grouch or Giant?

I can't decide if Jack looks like the Grinch, Oscar the Grouch, or the Jolly Green Giant in this little getup. All I know is he sure looks cute in his first pair of footie pjs. I always hated these things. They made my feet sweat. It's like wearing socks to bed. Gross.

Drumroll please...

We've signed a contract on this cute little house. We're so excited...and we're also freaking out a bit... If we follow the naming trend we started with Jack & have a baby girl while living in this house, her middle name will be Ursula. I'll have to think about that a bit more!

Pumpkin Picking

We're now officially ready for fall! As you can see, Jack preferred the rotting pumpkins.

Happy Birthday Henry!

Don't look now, but a wannabe 80's rock star is stealing your cake!

Jack & John

My sweet boys.

Those darn teeth...

Poor kid had a rough day. We still have 4 teeth coming in- 2 on top, 2 on bottom. I think he has an awful lot of teeth for his age- 15 months & 14 teeth. What do I know though? The 1st baby is always an experiment, right? Hopefully tomorrow will be better for us all.

We had a great weekend. It was perfect fall weather. Saturday we went to Lafayette Square Park and had a picnic while Jack ran around munching on french fries. That park is so great. He was able to run as much as he wanted without us worrying about him. I don't understand how he screams & cries if we leave him in the nursery with lots of other kids to play with, but the minute we go anywhere he runs away from us without a worry in the world!



He was obsessed with my soda cup the whole time we were at the park. He ran around with it & kept puling the straw in & out of the top.

ROAR!!!

My little farmer Jack lion. I could just eat this kid up.

Odds & Ends

On Monday Jack burst in the bathroom just as I was stepping out of the shower, smiled & said "uh-oh". I then showed him the wreckage he caused to his mother's bootie while he was growing inside of me. He thought that was pretty funny.

Later in the day I tried on my jeans with him that I am determined to fit back into. And...they fit! Fit is a relative term here. It simply means I was able to zip them, not that they are in any way appropriate to wear in public and I'm sure I couldn't sit in them yet. Thanks Jacko.

We went to the mall the other day & they having a nursing mom's room which I thought was nice. But, the icon under the sign is a big bottle. I couldn't stop giggling at that. I just kept thinking that a big breast would have been more appropriate and it made me laugh & laugh.

Today has been a day of tantrums. That's why there are no photos. They would have all been of a screaming, mad little boy. He is getting to have a very strong will of his own. And, he is once again obsessed with my keys. He throws a fit if he can't have them. He's figured out how to make the car beep buy locking & un-locking the doors. Our neighbors must think we're crazy with all the beeping that goes on at our house!

And the award goes to...

Yes, it's true, I have officially nominated & awarded myself the Worst Mom of the Week Award.

As you can see by the big red scab in the above photo, Jack had some accidents this week.

1- On Thursday we were playing outside & he was running to me, tripped, fell & had a run in with the corner of a concrete stair that leads up to our house. We both cried. A lot.

2- Today we were in the bedroom & he was on our bed playing. He bounced rather hard & oops...went right off the bed, into the wall & onto the floor banging his head. And he had just finished throwing a tantrum after I took some gum away from him. He cried & I freaked out screaming so loud that John came running out of the shower.

3- Then at dinner tonight I gave him a little piece of pizza that was HOT & burnt his little hand & mouth. He cried & John took him out of his seat to go outside for a few minutes. That's when the award officially became mine.

I'm very honored to accept this award on behalf of all of the other moms out there whose kids look like they've recently been in fist-fights. For my next trick I am planning on driving the car in to oncoming traffic or allowing Jack to play in the street. I'll keep you posted.

Good news though, as you can see by the photo, Jack is very much enjoying peanut butter. He had it for the first time this week & can't get enough.

Nice Moments

Jack & I had a great week. He was a happy boy all week, was sleeping better than he has in a while & we were very busy. Some extended babysitting by both of his grandmas was helpful for me as well. It gave me a little break that I'd been needing for a while to get some things done. Jack loves his grandmas. If either of them are in the room I instantly become invisible.

In other good news, it seems I have become the favored parent once again. This summer Jack was all about Da (John). He couldn't get enough of him. When John would go in his studio to work Jack would cry outside of his door. When he was with me & John would come in the room he would immediately push away from me & run to John. But, since school has started for John again, Jack seems much more content with me. I'm glad. I wasn't prepared for him to hate me until he's at least 13 or 14.

I had one of those moments this week where everything seemed perfect and for the first time I felt perfectly content just being a mom. I've felt like I should be the perfect mom & be very happy doing that. And I've also felt that I should be working a meaningful job outside of the home and have felt guilty for not doing so. But, on Friday, Jack & I were driving home & he was falling asleep. I was keeping him awake by shaking his leg & talking to him in silly voices & he just sat there and grinned at me with his half closed eyes. I was so happy to be with him & he was happy to be with me. And it all seemed perfect.

Goodbye Cruel World

Yipee!

Nothing to say about this one except that he looks super cute in his stripey shirt!

Fun with Food

What you can't see in this photo is that Jack is taking bites of the banana and spiting them out all over the house. He won't eat bananas, or any real fruit or vegetables for that matter. I thought if I just let him hold the banana and investigate it, maybe one of these days he'll actually eat it!

And he's also figured out how to get in this cabinet. He likes to take everything out of it.

Fun time outside

Jack loves to run around outside. He also loves to throw a tantrum when I don't let him go in the street! He laughed & laughed when I put the hood on his head.

The best time is bath time

This is Jack's favorite time of the day.

Babies need to exercise too!

Lunch

I don't think Jack likes his lunch! Pasta is never a big hit.

Growing teeth is hard work

We thought he would get a little break after those 4 molars came in. Poor kid. And his dad is laughing at him too! Popsicles always help the teeth.

The Making of a Bully

We babysat Elliot tonight and saw a different side of Jack. He liked having Elliot around- he was very interested in his head as always. But, we also saw a little bully in him.

He would hit his ball machine so it would start up & as the balls came out he would collect them & put them in the basket under his stroller. He's never done that before. He also collected all the sippy cups. I think he needs a little more time around other kids. It's going to be a shock when he discovers he's not the center of the universe!

What a nice head you have