9 Years Ago Today...

Happy Birthday Baby Boy!

Breaking News!

This is really only breaking news to us, but, Jack ate grapes on Monday night.  Yes, you heard me, we're hooting & celebrating because my almost 3 year old ate not one, but 7 or 8 grapes!  

I can honestly count on one hand the amount of fruit Jack has eaten since he went off baby food.  A bite or two of banana, a sliver of strawberry, and one whole blueberry (that was over a year ago).  He refuses to touch the stuff.  But at dinner on Monday John & I were eating grapes & Jack yelled, "I like grapes!", took a bite of one, shivered & made a funny face & then ate the rest.  John & I cheered & he kept on eating them.  He even ate some yesterday.

The excitement never ends around here.

This Is the Messiest You Will Ever See Jack

Jack, enjoying some cookie dough.  This child never intentionally gets messy, except, apparently, when cookie dough is involved.

Looking Forward & Back

I am not a mom who doesn't want her baby boy to grow up.  I look forward to the day when we can play board games together, watch a movie on a rainy afternoon, and read chapter books together.  I love each stage of Jack's life more than the last.  I love hearing the next new thing out of his mouth & I love watching him interact & discover his world.

That's why I was surprised when I felt sad after we took apart his crib & put a big bed in his room a few months ago.  My baby boy will be 3 years old next month.  And, as much as I look forward to the years ahead & all he'll experience, my heart feels sad at all that will fade away.

At this point in his life he is completely honest.  The idea of telling a lie doesn't occur to him.  He says it how it is without hiding anything he's feeling.  And, he believes everything we tell him.

He loves his momma & daddy.  He's so excited to see us, to play with us, to make us laugh.  He loves to hold our hands & wants 10 hugs & kisses before he goes to bed.  I will hug & kiss this boy as many times as he wants because I know the day will come when he'll not even want me to tuck him in, much less kiss him.

He can't hide his excitement.  When he sees something new or something he loves, he yells & points & laughs & wants to tell me all about it.  And I will listen as long as he wants to talk to me.   

Sometimes, I feel so much love for him that I think it will make my heart burst.  Before he entered the world I didn't know it was even possible to love someone so wholeheartedly knowing that they can give you nothing but themselves in return.  

And, I think about him becoming a teenager and I hope he still likes me.  I hope I can still make him laugh.  

I want him to be free to grow & explore & become the man he's going to be, but I also want to hold on to him so tight & hope that he'll never leave because he is my baby & he'll always be my baby.  I know I have a long time before he's all grown up, but I also know it's going to go so much faster than I ever thought possible.

So, I try to savor the days we spend together.  I try to listen to him when he talks, get on the floor when he asks me to play with him, and kiss & hug him until he doesn't want anymore.

Too Much Curious George

I went to the doctor yesterday.  Jack knows my doctor.  He knows my doctor's name.  He's seen my doctor many times & never says anything to him or in his presence except, "Great job Mama!"  (Everyone needs to hear this after having their feet in stir-ups!)

Yesterday when my doctor walked into the room Jack shouted out, "Hi Dr. Monkey!"  My doctor asked what he said & he yelled out again, "Hi Dr. Monkey!" and giggled.

There's an episode of Curious George where George is Dr. Monkey.  Apparently this made an impact on Jack.  At least my doctor thought it was funny too!  And, I'm very glad the man doesn't actually resemble a monkey.  

This is what happens when he dresses himself.

Jack picked out his own clothes this morning.  Suede boots (perfect for a 90 degree day), ratty sweatpants, and his Easter sweater vest from 2 years ago.  He obviously gets his fashion sense from his daddy.

What More Could a Boy Want?

Trucks, baby animals & snowcones!

I Forgot to Mention...

that John got me a Wii & the Wii Fit for Mother's Day.  Pretty much the best gift ever from the best husband ever.  I'm off to headbutt some soccer balls & panda heads while the child naps.

I Might Stop Blogging About Sleep Sometime Soon

Today we have an appointment at the St. Luke's Sleep Center with pediatric nurse extraordinaire Nancy Burkenmeier.  We've visited her once before when Jack was 8 or 9 months old & waking up every hour.  Last time it took us 3 months to get in.  This time they had an appointment the next day.  She gave us a plan to follow & he was happily sleeping through the night in less than a week.  I kind of knew myself what to do with an infant, but just needed her to kick my butt to do it.

I, however, have no idea what to do with a kid who is almost 3.  Do we let him cry it out or will that freak him out so much that he'll really never want to sleep in his bed again?  All I know is that the kid has no idea how to relax & go to sleep & it's up to us to help him with that.

We really do have other things going on in our lives.  I really do have other, much more exciting things to blog about.  But, the sleep issue is so all-encompassing that it's hard to write about anything else.

So, hopefully coming soon will be a sleep success story, photos of the Dan Zanes concert we went to as a family (I had been looking forward to this concert for almost a year & it rocked), and some other cute photos of the boy.  

Adventures in Sleep

The sleep saga continues in the Hendrix household.  We're quickly approaching the month mark that we took Jack's binkies away.  We soon realized it wasn't the staying asleep that was a problem, it was the calming down enough to actually get to sleep that was the issue.  

I started off very adamant that we were not going to rock or rub him to sleep.  After much screaming that has been thrown out the window.  Now I just want him to sleep & I seem to spend my entire day trying to get him to sleep.  

We ended up moving him out of his crib & into a twin bed.  That helped a lot.  I think he felt trapped in his crib.  But now we've started having to lie down with him just to get him to fall asleep.  If this was a quick process, it wouldn't bother me so much, but tonight, for example, it has taken an hour and a half.  And the longer it takes him to get to sleep the more fidgety he gets & the more he wants done for him.  He "needs" lotion, kleenex, water, a different friend in bed, his toenails clipped (yes- he has asked for this several times), his socks on, his socks off, a different blanket, and the list goes on & on.

I am going crazy.  I actually found many grey hairs on my head this week.  I'm putting a call into our trusty sleep doctor tomorrow & am hoping she can help us with a plan.  

I Broke My Son's Heart Tonight

The binkies are finally gone.  Yes, my 3 this July, walking, talking boy still slept with his beloved binkies.  Today he happily traded them in at the toy store for this cool piano.  Needless to say, the piano is of little comfort at bedtime.  He told me to take it back & get his binkies.

This is by far the hardest bit of parenting I've done thus far.  Harder than letting him cry it out at 8 months.  Harder than taking the bottle away.  Harder than dropping him off at his mother's day out program while he wailed for yet another kiss.  He cried & cried like his little heart was breaking & I feel like the worst mother alive.

Another reason I love this kid

So, I took Jack to the bookstore tonight.  St. Louis has decided, after teasing us with a taste of spring, that it is,  indeed, still winter.  So, we escaped the house for a while & went to read some books.  Jack loves the bookstore.  Okay, in reality Jack loves going to just about ANY store, but he really loves the bookstore.  

We sat in the kid's section to read.  There was another boy surrounded by Thomas the Tank Engine books & other "boy" books.  Jack decided to sit down and read this.  Now, I'm not a huge Thomas fan- I find him rather surly & mean, but surely he's better than Barbie!  Right?  

The other parents grinned at me as I read to Jack about all things Barbie.  When were were done reading he pointed to the pretty, sparkly Barbie & yelled, "Mama!"  

I said, "Where do you see Mama?"  

And he once again pointed to Barbie & said, "There!  That's my Mama.  So pretty."

How can I argue with that?

A double post is tacky, but the only thing that seems appropriate tonight!

Rock Chalk!

Have you ever seen anything more perfect?

A Belated St. Patty's Day Wish From Jack

This is why I can't keep chocolate in the house.

Today should be a national holiday for it marks the much awaited delivery of our Girl Scout Cookies. A whole sleeve of Thin Mints has already disappeared & more are waiting in the freezer. It's a good thing those little sin snacks only come around once a year.

Last year John told my girlfriends that ONE Somoa packed a whopping 4 grams of fat. This was after almost a whole box had been eaten. I think he received death threats for a month.

ps- i must give credit where credit is due.  i found the little drawing over at Tales of a Real Life Lusbian.  it didn't say it was copywrited, but still...

My Guitar Hero

Enjoy Jack's rendition of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. A little toddler speak translation for you- at the end he says, "Thank you New York Jesus!"

Shhh...don't wake Fred Bird!

Fred Bird, or red bird as Jack calls him, is Jack's favorite new friend. In this photo he is rocking Fred Bird to sleep. He then dropped him on his head in the crib & had me cover him with a blanket. He wanted me to give Fred a pacifier, but I told him that Fred hates binkies & thinks they're gross. I'm hoping that rubs off.

It's pretty sweet to see him parent Fred. We diapered the bird, put band-aids on his boo-boos & Jack tears around the house with Fred in a little stroller. The other day I listened in on a little conversation he was having with Fred. It went something like, "Ohhh. Fred! You fall down. You so sad. It's okay. I kiss it."