On to the Busy Bees...

Three months ago Jack started 'school' at his new daycare. We were very nervous for him, after he had been in a home daycare for ten months. Our worst fears came true--Jack was hit by a barage of illnesses, had bad separation anxiety for a week in September, and even worse--has since enjoyed school so much that he tries to leap from the car when I get him out. So much for missing Mommy!

So today he started in his new toddler classroom. He's going from cribs and high chairs to cots and regular, although itty-bitty, chairs. I dropped him off this morning so that I could take a look around the new room. Jack went straight for the toys. All seemed well until I slipped out the door and was closing it behind me. He screeched and began crying. I know it's just that it's a different routine now, but I still have thought about him all day long. I know he'll like it. After all, one reason they 'promoted' him to the next class was because he would sneak down to that room to play with the toys after playing outside or in the gym. The teacher found him one day just playing alongside the other students!

I have been very pleased with his progress while at his new school. Not only has he physically advanced with walking, climbing and playing, but he's more socially with it than I think he would be if still at the home care, where the kids were stuck in the living room watching tv all day. The past week he's been 'dancing', walking backwards and turning around in circles until he gets dizzy. He's getting to the point now that he and Jamie can wrestle a bit. He understands the concept and the fun. He also met his first dog this past weekend and was able to transfer the concept of 'gentle' from his play with the cats to petting the large dog. My little guy!

The Paci Rears Its Ugly Head

Usually my Mommy-sense (it's kinda like Spidey-sense) is pretty accurate.

Jamie informed me th other day that when he went to pick up Jack that Jack was sucking on a paci! Now, for those of you who are new readers, an FYI--we left our paci days behind us
LAST JANUARY! We thought it so easy to get him off that baby-crack. According to one teacher he talked to, Jack "loves" pacis, so eventually they let him walk around with it. First of all, he's supposed to be off of it, and second of all we never sent a paci to school with him, so the germy object was obviously someone else's.

The next day I talked specifically to two of his teachers about not giving him pacis and that I was surprised that they would let him have one, since it's such a controversial habit that should be up to a parent. One teacher replied that Jack steals the pacis from other kids...takes them right away. Well, I just couldn't believe that. He doesn't EVER use on at home.

When leaving Jack's classroom the other morning, I turned to give him one last look....lo and behold, he had a paci in his mouth. My back was turned for about 10 seconds!! Furthermore I hadn't seen any of the kids there with a paci. Ugh....according to the teacher, this one must have been lying on the floor from the day before. Gross! Day-old germs! I asked them to more vigilant...we'll see what happens.

Second Halloween

Jack's second Halloween was an eventful one. The day started off with a quick visit to Mommy's work, where Jack struted his stuff in his monkey outfit for all of Mommy's friends. Next, we went to Jack's daycare for a Halloween costume parade, trick-or-treating and partying.

Back at our house at night, Jack and Jamie went up and down the street several times...just walking. We had about 10 trick-or-treaters before I turned out the lights, fed the troops and put Jack to bed.

We have lift-off

The biggest news from the last two months is that Jack is now walking fully, un-aided. Sometimes he gets excited and the top of his body moves a little ahead of himself and trips, but we've been practicing a lot. Everynight he loves to chase and play hide-and-seek, but he's always the chaser and always the seeker. He doesn't yet understand the reverse. We've taken walks outside, at first just in his wagon, but now on his feet. It takes a lot to keep him on the sidewalk or in our own lawn. The only way to get him to go where I want him to go is to run, so he'll chase me to our destination.

Rashy Jack

So, As I mentioned before, Jack is now in a new daycare. He has about 10 classmates and 2 teachers. With more exposure to people comes more sickness...so far in the last month he's had croup and a double-ear infection, along with a chronically snotty nose. After a crazy early-morning trip to the ER, we found out that he has an amoxicillan allergy. Poor, itchy, rashy fellow!

Chatty Jack

Since his last blog posting, Jack has started a new daycare. His teachers teach simple sign language, such as 'thank you', 'all done', etc. To reinforce this at home, we bought some flashcards and dvds. I had a few people tell me not to teach signs because it would be years before he talked.....like I have a problem with that! :o) Between oral and sign language, he gets his point across. He can verbalize: Mama, Da-dee, Ki-ee (Kitty), Boo-k (Book). In sign language, he can signal "all done" really well. "All done" is definitely preferrable to throwing food on the floor, although some of that still goes on, too.

Random Jack pic

Detective Jack

Jack's investigative skills are become more active. He's very into holding random objects (his own picture, greeting cards, tupperware) and examining them closely, turning them over and over again. He also loves: the kitties, the kitty door, "his" kitchen cabinets. He especially likes to take his toys from his cabinet and throw them down into the basement, via the kitty door. When Jamie goes down to feed the cats, he'll poke his face through the kitty door to watch him and the kitties race downstairs.

Below are pics from the 'other side'. This is what the cats see when they try to come back up stairs.

Time for a third haircut...

Man, he sure humors me.

My lil' buggie

The shape of things...

At his birthday party, Auntie Laura gave Jack one of his favorite gifts--a see-and-say-like Elmo toy with colorful shapes tucked into corresponding slots.It became apparent right away that this toy would bring a lot of smiles to Jack but a lot of pain to my butt (well, not literally).

While I've said before that Jack and I share similar personalities, the line has been drawn at organization. I LOVE to organize and have a place for everything. Jack, however, doesn't. I'm hoping it's just because he's one; but he and I have been having a constant struggle with where the Elmo/Sesame Street shapes should go. I prefer them in the toy itself and Jack prefers them.....well, anywhere but where they belong. He'll often crawl by with one shape in each hand, and has been spotted with an extra one clamped between his teeth. I sit and show him how to put the shapes in the toy, and he literally looks right at me and takes them out as fast as I add them.

So far in the last two weeks, Elmo's red square bailed into Luke's truck somewhere (yet to be found), Abby Cadabby's pink octagon tried to hide behind the changing table twice (hooked out both times by a hanger), and Cookie Monster's blue rectangle found safe shelter under the tv stand for a week (where I left it a few days longer than I should have, just to watch Jack lie flat on his belly and try to reach it).

Yesterday I showed up to an all day training course for work and opened up my purse to grab the Tylenol I knew I would need to survive the day. A present! Score! Jack had, at some point the evening before, put Bert's yellow triangle in my purse. An obvious counter to my attempts at cleaning up the living room last night. So like his dad......Thanks, Jack.

Confetti Scrambled Eggs with a Side of Biter Biscuit

We've been introducing more table food into Jack's diet, trying to get him ready for big-boy school. He's going to a new daycare starting on Sept. 2 and I'm realizing how far behind he'll be from the others, food-wise. He's too old for the "Honey Bees" room and too young for the "Busy Bees" room, so he'll be in the well-named "Middle Bees" room.

Jack has learned that he likes to spazz out and flip his food around. He buries his hands in the pile of food and either grabs them while making a he-man grunt or tosses the food around. Tonight we enjoyed scrambled eggs, which fell all over the floor like confetti.

I was too busy cleaning him and the floor up to take pics. I learned, tho, that Jack doesn't mind being cleaned with the vacuum attachment.

Celebrating the one-year mark....

Well, folks, it's official. I can keep another human being alive for at least one year. (My houseplants weep with envy).

Jack had a fun-filled birthday. We went for a mid-morning swim lesson, with Grandma and Grandpa Ron as our audience, then had friends and family over for the party. Jack loves all of his toys, including the Noah's Ark Little People from Grandpa Jeff, the learning puppy from Great-grandma Mary Lou, and the Elmo shape thingy from Auntie Laura. (He was blessed with many, many great presents.)

See below for more birthday fun....

Playing with Colton and Emma (My little MaMa)

The Birthday Boy

The Cake and Decorations

Here, Here!

So, here we go. I'm all riled up right now after reading 10 Mistakes that Parents Make. It's about time more parents thought like author, Craig Playstead.

I'm tired of new-age parents who don't discipline their kids. When did kids start having 'rights' that went beyond food, shelter and love? I love Jack, but because I love him, I will keep a disciplined and structured environment. I'm not talking about a military-style home, but a home built on mutual respect with the parents as the leaders. Also, when did bribing kids to do work become the standard? If my son expects to be a member of our household, he'll contribute to it like Jamie and I do (within reason).

To me, some of these parents don't discipline for a variety of reasons:

• They want to be their kids' friends.
• They are too lazy or tired. (Busy parents have less time with their kids and it's tempting to give in to kids during the evening hours just to make the night go by more pleasantly.)
• They don't want to 'hurt' the kids' self-esteem.

The problem with kids these days is that they have too much self-esteem and too little self-control. I want Jack to grow up to be confident in his abilities, but not feel entitled to the world catering to his needs. There are rights that we all have, but then there are privileges that we have to work for.

I don't know when this all started. I'm 31 and many older generations could probably point to my age group as being selfish and out-of-control; however, at work many of the college and high school interns seem to lack the basics of being a part of a team atmosphere and seem to have an attitude when expected to do--or not to do--certain things.

In the store I constantly seen harried parents give in to whining children. If Jack whined like that, the only thing I would give him is a swift smack in the rear. Now, I don't advocate child abuse and would only spank or swat after other methods of discipline, such as public humiliation or deprivation of a favorite thing, were to fail. But a firm reminder on a bottom serves as a reminder of who is in control.

Favorite Thing: Daddy

Jack loves Daddy because Daddy is more rough-and-tumble. I blame Daddy for instilling a crazy sense of adventure and death-defying action seeking in Jack, but Jack sees Daddy as a good ol' pal.

Some of the things Jack loves about his Daddy: Daddy holds him upside down and shakes him around (not too hard, of course). Daddy makes funny faces and accompanying noises. Daddy encourages Jack's farts. Daddy cuddles and kisses, too.


Speaking of adventure....Jack has also learned a new favorite thing: the joy of being naked, coupled with the thrill of hiding from Mommy so she can't catch him.

Favorite Thing: Chewies

Chewies have quickly become a way of life. Jack will--as the name implies--chew on them and snuggle with them when he's tired or cranky. When in a playful mood, he likes to put them on top of his head. I also like to put them on top of his head.

While in reality a chewie is just a cloth diaper, it holds a lot of significance for me. At the baby shower that Jack's Auntie Tara and Auntie Andrea held for us, they had everyone decorate a cloth diaper with fabric markers. Everyone had a unique design and each one is special to us.

Favorite Thing: Books

Jack has been flipping through his own board books for quite a few months now. Now that he's muy, muy mobile, he's starting to flip through my books, too (and is right now as I type). He's very gentle with them, and except for the occasional gnawing (see a gummy The Autobiography of my Mother in the first picture), I don't worry about him and the books.

Crap. Just had to take a pic and upload it. He's definitely not stuck in functional fixedness. He's found that Bastard out of Carolina and Woman Warrior make a good step stools!

Jack's Favorite Things

To help count down to Jack's first birthday, I'd like to reminisce about some of Jack's favorite things from this past year.

Jack loves Elmo. For his first Christmas Grandma Anne and Aunt Crystal got Jack a little talking Elmo, which has quickly become a 'lovey'. While he likes chewies when he's tired (post forthcoming), Jack loves Elmo most all of the time. He knows what Elmo is going to say and will sometimes mimmick Elmo when Elmo is talking.

Sometimes I'll forget that Elmo is in the backseat and about 10 minutes into a car ride will almost careen off the road when Elmo pipes up: "Yippee Ki Yi....Yay!"

An Afternoon at the Park

Jamie has been playing softball in the church league for the last few months. A few weeks ago the weather was finally cool enough for Jack and me to go watch. He watched everything, but the game, but we still had fun! I chose the picture below because he looks soooo much like Jamie in this one...but don't let that innocent face fool you; he's as headstrong as I am.

First Hair Cut

Last month Jack got his first hair cut. I had wanted to give it to him sooner, but Jamie hemmed and hawed over it. Finally on night I fluffed out all of his hair and forced Jamie to admit that he was due.

Jack took it well. I sat him in his highchair and gave him his favorite strawberry puffs. While he munched, I quickly sheared the ends about 1-1.5 inches.

We love the first pic. It's like one of those makeover shows where the makeoveree's 'before' pic looks like death warmed. I considered giving him the "Aunt Dayna Special", but just couldn't put him through that.

Mommy and Jack Catching Some Rays....

Meeting the cousins

Jack got to meet his cousins Mason, Dylon and Jessa and his Uncle Scott and Aunt Val for the first time. Mason and Dylon gave him sweet kisses!

Standing Up

cheesy smiles and play time

Finger Food

This picture is so Jack. He can't seem to keep his fingers--or really anything--out of his mouth. He doesn't suck on things. He just chews. While he has seven nice teeth (and one more on the way) to show for it, it makes our job harder.

The question, "do you know where that's been?" takes a pressing emphasis. With four cats, you never know when one might sit on a toy (cat butt germs). We've worked outside in the yard before and tromped through the house, without thinking that our tracks might carry non-edible baddies.

Jack keeps busy stuffing anything and everything into his mouth, with the exception of any food bits we put in front of him. He eats well from a spoon, but when it comes to finger-food, he just wants to play. Last night I watched for about 5 minutes while he slowly mulled over some banana bits on his plate. One would stick to his fingers and he'd lift his hand and just stare at it. I wanted to shout, "Just eat it!", but instead let him explore. A patient mommy is a good mommy....I guess.

The Glen Oak Experience

Me and Meri. Many years and a lifetime ago, we met on the third floor of Heitz Hall at Bradley. I had been on campus for orientation a few days before the bulk of students arrived and was excited to hear my first dorm neighbor rustling around next door. Meri--unpacking clothes and chatting my ear off. It was the start of one defining, life-altering year.

2008 and Meridith (as she is now called) and I are mommies and wives. A night out means plenty of planning and preparation. No more all night beveraging and dancing. No more all day sleeping (or all night sleeping as a matter of fact). Our beverages are caffienated (for the most part) these days. The last dancing I did was to an Elmo dvd. And, if I'm up at 2 a.m., it's because I'm listening to Jack's breathing on the monitor, tuned to any abnormal sounds. Our husbands wouldn't even be able to fathom our young, crazy days, and probably shouldn't even try to. I need to search my collage photos for a pic of us from back then; one that is tasteful enough for this family show.

A few weeks ago, we met up at Glen Oak park for a picnic, with her husband and three kiddos and Jamie and my lil' dude. Janssen, her oldest, is a pre-teen, which is hard to believe. Olivia, the middle one, is the spitting image of Meridith. Aleise, her youngest, gave little head butts to Jack as a substitute for kisses. Jack was mainly in observation mode, but consented to chuckle a bit when I took him for a ride down the slide.

My little peanut is the smallest, held by Meri's oldest. If we only knew now...

A Night Without Mommy and Daddy....

Last Friday Jack spent his first night away from home. He's only 9 months old, but when we thought about it, we have been lightly sleeping, ears always tuned to the baby monitor. Our friends Tara and Kim were totally awesome and volunteered to take him from the night. We were nervous, and I was so afraid that Jack would be sad when he realized we weren't going to be around at bedtime. But, when we came over the next morning to pick him up, he barely acknowledged that we were there! That's good for him.....but sad for me!

Besides being an awesome friend and natural mother, Tara is a fantastic photographer. Below are a few pictures she snapped during the sleepover.

Although I didn't get the ticker-tape parade I expected at our reunion, I've noticed that he's been a little more cuddily this week, especially at night time. Not sure if it's all connected, but it's definitely more than welcomed! I've missed having a tiny baby to hold all the time, though I enjoy this new, fun, independent stage.

Hanging in There

Jack likes this more way more than Patty does....

Sitting Pretty

Jack really cracks us up. He is so good playing by himself for short periods of times.

Fun with Food

Jack is starting to get way more independant. After struggling to keep the spoon away throughout breakfast, I just finally gave in. Watching him explore the spoon's use and play with the food was definitely worth the impromptu bath.