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.

Not all Shits and Giggles

Busy Bees and Chattering Elmos

We've been a busy bunch this weekend. Jack took his first car seat-free ride in a shopping cart this weekend. Jack and Mommy went to Toys 'R Us yesterday, "just to look", and came home with a few Elmo things. He sort of had a dazed looked, but smiled when well-meaning strangers talked to him. He was a little more comfortable today when all three of us went grocery shopping.

The rest of the weekend was spent on the floor, rolling around and chasing flying toys, or outside enjoying the weather as Jamie grilled and I picked up limbs in the back yard. Jack likes the fresh air and enjoys watching the cats meow from inside the screen door. My back and feet are so sore that I don't mind that Finnegan is playfully attacking my feet as I write. If he would actually chew instead of lick, then maybe Jamie wouldn't have to cut my toe nails this week.

The below picture from my camera phone isn't that great, but it does show a little of Jack's excitement at seeing his Chattering Elmo at the store. Grandma Anne and Aunt Crystal gave him Chattering Elmo for Christmas. We use it a lot to keep him occupied while cutting his nails or distracting him from something else. He was excited to see Chattering Elmo at Toys 'R Us and couldn't understand why Mommy put it back up on the shelf. Instead, I opted for a smaller, less furry, every day type of plush Elmo.....more importantly, one that doesn't talk, sing or laugh! Do you know how hard it is to find an Elmo that doesn't make any sound at all?? Jack held Elmo's foot in his mouth throughout the whole store, but when he got home, I found that his new Elmo doesn't rate next to his old, talkative, furry buddy. A few times I tricked him into taking it from me by singing, "La, La, La, La. La, La, La, La. Elmo's World." He'd smile and grab Elmo, stuff his eyes into his mouth and then drop him overboard. Poor mute Elmo!