Root Nest

Paint!

2009-10-22T19:11:00.000-07:00

Finger (and hands, and feet, and bottom...) painting with Jack.

Doing important paperwork...

2009-09-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

Jack LOVES to color with his crayons, but he still prefers it when he gets his hands on one (or two) of mommy's pens! It's cute how serious he gets about what he clearly thinks is very important work. He will sit at his little desk and draw for up to an hour, working on each piece of artwork until he gets it just right.

Droopy Drawers

2009-09-10T21:10:00.000-07:00

No matter how many times we pulled them back up, Jack kept hitching his pants down to show off his little booty this evening. Why? Who knows, but it was 'cracking' us up...ha ha ha...

Jack's 1st Blanket Fort

2009-09-09T17:55:00.000-07:00

Family Time

2009-09-08T20:36:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful visit this weekend in Anacortes with Andrew, Gretchen & North as well as Uncle Ben, GG, Nana, and Zadie. North has been busy growing, and Jack finally acknowledged him this time. It was actually very sweet - whenever North would start to fuss, Jack would try to fix it by giving him his pacifier. Smart boy. The last to photos are of Jack making off with his hand-me-down clothes that were being passed on to his cousin...apparently he wasn't quite ready to part with them.

It was great to see the family - thanks (again) for coming up to visit - honestly we're going to make it down to Portland to see you guys in Ocotober - really this time! Warren made his world-famous (okay, at least Anacortes-famous) pizza, which is always a treat. Jack enjoyed making tea for GG & Nana with his new set of dishes. Uncle Ben passed down one of his prized childhood toys to Jack - a model firetruck with a real working extension ladder. It's very cool, and I'm sure Jack will love it (in a couple of years when he can actually play with it without risk of stepping on it by accident and squishing it). All in all a very successful visit with (mostly) happy babies - hooray!

Berry Picking

2009-09-07T20:40:00.000-07:00

These photos are from back in July...but I thought they were worth posting even a couple of months late. Emily, Jack and I spent the afternoon picking oodles and oodles of strawberries & raspberries. I turned Jack loose on the berries, and he thought he had died and gone to heaven. He ate so many he wasn't even hungry for dinner afterward (and for Jack, that's really saying something). After a bit of practice he even got pretty good at choosing only the ripe berries, and picking off the little stem at the top. We've since made several more trips back to the u-pick farm, and we now have a well-stocked freezer to see us through the winter. Just last week we made one last trip for (Jack's favorite) blueberries since our supplies were dwindling more quickly than anticipated - and we picked another 20 lbs! What can I say? The kid loves berries.

Resting

2009-09-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

See, he slows down (a little) sometimes (and no, we didn't drug him for the photo).

Party Baby

2009-09-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hug Me - Or Else!

2009-09-04T06:00:00.000-07:00

Jack's hugs are well-intentioned but a bit too enthusiastic. We're working on being gentle, and he really is getting better...slowly.

Jack Entertains the Ladies

2009-09-02T20:25:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in a while because not a single interesting thing has happened...nada...zip...zilch. Jack has been napping, and I have been sitting on the couch eating bonbons.

Tonight, however, was very exciting, so I thought I should probably blog about it. We had a full house for dinner - Chris, Mandy, & Gwen and Beth & Cassidy. It was lots of fun (if a bit chaotic...but what's life without a little chaos?) and Jack had a ball entertaining his girls.

Night Night...

2009-06-25T16:57:00.000-07:00

We've recently transitioned Jack from two naps to one, and while overall the switch has gone smoothly, sometimes he gets a little sleepy around when his morning nap would have been. So, last week I put him in his bouncy horse (which he hadn't been in for months) and he was having a jolly old time, so I left him there for a couple of minutes. I got a little nervous when I didn't hear any bouncing, and when I peeked in I found him sound asleep. Needless to say, I had to wake him up, which he wasn't very pleased about. He got his second wind though, and made it through lunch before laying down for a nice long nap (in his bed this time)...

Big Day

2009-06-24T07:32:00.001-07:00

I know it's been ages since I made a post, but yesterday was definitely a blog-worthy day! Jack said his first word - or rather words...he pointed to JoJo and very clearly said, "hi kitty." I was so surprised to hear real words come out of his cute little mouth, and he seemed equally surprised that he had spoken. It was a very exciting mommy moment. His second word came in the evening, when he said "Gramma" to my mom on the phone.

Talk schmock says Jack. The best part of the day was the sprinkler park!!! After storytime at the library and a lovely picnic with Mandy & Gwen, Jack discovered what may be his absolute favorite place on earth. He elbowed his way in amongst all of the bigger kids, and even went back for more after wiping out face first on the pavement. I'll let the photos (courtesy of Mandy) speak for themselves, but I feel sure that we'll be making lots of trips back to the sprinkler park this Summer!

Asparagus

2009-04-10T09:37:00.000-07:00

Jack thinks asparagus is good for swinging around like a lasso, petting the doggie with, but absolutely positively NOT eating!

Oooooooie Owwwwwwie Ooooooooie Owwwwwie!

2009-03-31T05:00:00.001-07:00

Jack is training to be a cage fighter. Well, not really, he's actually just trying to learn to walk...but it can be a brutal process! Case in point, the big wound on his chin. He gets some new bump or bruise at least once a day, but this one is the worst so far. It bled - a lot - and it looks all red and sore. Poor little bugger.

Jack Loves Nanna & Zadie!

2009-03-30T05:30:00.000-07:00

Jack Learns to Clap!

2009-03-29T14:00:00.001-07:00

Jack learned how to clap his hands today. He was super excited about it, and did it all night - to much cheering from his Mommy, Daddy, & Auntie Lee. His little hands don't make any sound when they "clap" together, but he's got the motion down, and it's pretty darn cute!

Cords

2009-03-26T10:12:00.000-07:00

There are two things in the living room that Jack is not allowed to play with...the floor lamp and the computer cords. So, of course, the lamp and the cords are the things that he most wants to play with. He knows he's not supposed to, so he scoots towards them, and then looks around to find us and see if we're watching. Then he gives us a big, devilish smile, and proceeds to play with his favorite off-limits "toys". If we tell him "no" he cracks up. I'm not sure what's funny about being told "no," but he seems to think it's hilarious. All I can say is that I think Jack's toddler years are going to be very tiring...

Fun with Gwenivere

2009-03-22T17:22:00.000-07:00

It has been so much fun watching Gwen & Jack as they grow. What cute little buddies they are!

Clothes Are For Suckers!

2009-03-21T07:30:00.000-07:00

Jack hates getting dressed these days. It's not the actual clothes that he objects to, but rather the time that it takes to put them on. He can think of a million and one things he would rather be doing. So, I end up chasing him around the house, putting on one piece of clothing at a time. Sometimes it all just seems like too much work and I let him hang out in his diaper for a while.

So Tired

2009-03-20T09:09:00.000-07:00

After three nights of crummy sleep and very short naps during the day, Jack finally crashed last night. He curled up into a ball and fell asleep on the couch with me around 6:00. I managed to wake him up and feed him a bottle before putting him to bed, but he slept soundly through the night. Poor tired little boy.

Look Familiar?

2009-03-17T05:00:00.000-07:00

Skull & Crossbones

2009-03-16T05:00:00.000-07:00

New Blocks

2009-03-15T05:00:00.000-07:00

Changing Table Antics

2009-03-14T05:00:00.000-07:00

Busy Boy = Busy Mommy

2009-03-11T20:11:00.001-07:00

So, you may have noticed that I haven't posted much lately... I promise I will try to do better, but my newly mobile baby keeps me VERY busy!

And it begins...

2009-02-06T09:14:00.000-08:00

Hold on to your hats, ladies and gentlemen...Jack is mobile! Last night I left him on his alphabet mat in his room for about 30 seconds while I went to the kitchen to check on dinner. When I came back, he had somehow gotten himself over to the heater (about 5 feet away) and was playing with the electrical cord. I took the cord away, of course, unplugged the heater, and waited for him to show me how he managed to perform this new feat of movement. The answer is, he scoots (or army crawls, or whatever you want to call it)...backwards... It is the funniest thing. This morning he figured out how to go forward also, although that's a little tougher. He is really proud of his new skill, and has been scooting around his room since he figured out how to do it. I guess we need to get on the child-proofing pronto!

Pack 'n Play

2009-01-26T16:58:00.000-08:00

Jack LOVES his new playpen! I was hoping he would tolerate being in it for a few minutes so that I could take a shower or make dinner, as we will soon need a safe place for him to be contained once he starts crawling. I never in my wildest dreams thought he would enjoy it so much (I know, my wildest dreams are pretty boring these days...). Things may change once he is actually mobile, but for the moment the Pack 'n Play is his new favorite hang out spot - not to mention a good place for an impromptu nap.

Christmas at Our House

2009-01-17T21:24:00.000-08:00

Christmas With The Grandparents

2009-01-14T17:38:00.000-08:00

Root Family Christmas (aka. St. Present's Day)

"Snappy, snappy," Uncle Andrew.

Ballé Family Christmas

Happy New Year!

2009-01-13T17:45:00.000-08:00

For New Year's, Jack partied his little butt off! We enjoyed an evening at Josh & Emily's brand new house (congrats you guys!), ate good food, drank good beer, and kept our baby up late. We expected him to go right to sleep when we got home around 9:30, but no dice, he was still rarin' to go. In fact, he didn't fall asleep until 11:30!

Aren't I Cute?

2009-01-12T17:35:00.000-08:00

Ω
(You can just barely see his little tooth in the second photo if you look really closely.)

Z W AXDCSA Ç

Jack typed that last bit himself - I have no idea where he found some of those symbols...

Sweet Dreams Little One

2009-01-11T14:30:00.000-08:00

Jack sleeps on his tummy now. I put him to sleep on his back (with his head at the top of the crib) and he flips himself over and wiggles down so that his head is smooshed against the rails. Weird little baby.

Jack's 1st Present

2009-01-10T09:37:00.000-08:00

Jack's very first Christmas present was from his Great Uncle Jack and Great Aunt Bobi - and it was a huge hit! At first when we put the package in front of him he wasn't sure what to make of it, but he soon figured out that the paper could be torn off and stuffed in his mouth. It took him about 20 minutes to get enough wrapping paper off to see that there was something inside, but once he did he couldn't wait to get at it. The toy itself is awesome! He absolutely LOVES it. The first day it kept him occupied long enough for me to do the dishes, put in a load of laundry, AND take a shower! Any toy that does that is worth its weight in gold. So, Jack says thank you for the cool toy, and so do his mom & dad!

Dinner at the Pidgeons'

2009-01-09T16:07:00.000-08:00

Chris & Mandy had us over for turkey dinner last Sunday. The food was delicious & the company was wonderful! Gwen showed Jack all of the new toys she got for Christmas. Jack said thank you by licking her on the head (see top photo), smearing banana bread all over her high chair, and pooping at the dinner table. Hopefully Gwen will reciprocate when they come over to our house for dinner this week!

A Merry Christmas to All!

2008-12-27T19:36:00.000-08:00

Jack's Xmas Music Toy from Brothersroot on Vimeo.

Put a Cork In It!

2008-12-17T15:37:00.000-08:00

Jack's very first tooth poked its way through his gums this afternoon! Josh and I thought the occasion called for some champagne ~ Jack celebrated by chewing on the cork...

Sick babies are no fun!

2008-12-12T17:09:00.000-08:00

Jack's cold took a real turn for the worse last night. His fever was up to 102.7 and he was wheezing a lot. So, this morning we took him in to see Dr. McGuinness. His blood oxygen level was pretty low, so the doctor gave him a bronchial dilator medication through a nebulizer right then (see last photo with gas mask). It seemed to help some, so we have to repeat the treatment at home every 4 hours until the coughing and wheezing stops. Ugh.

I have to say...it's been a lousy week so far!

You know someone's a good friend when...

2008-12-10T17:53:00.000-08:00

...they offer to help you with your sick baby. A huge thank you Mandy, Chris, & Gwen for the offer of help and the 'get well' card & balloon.

Sick and Tired...

2008-12-09T15:29:00.001-08:00

...as in, Jack's sick and I'm tired.

Care for a dip in the pool?

2008-12-05T15:33:00.000-08:00

Caspian & Jack tore it up at the aquatic center today! The kiddie pool was a big hit, and as far as baby outings go it was a rousing success. So much so that Clarity & I are planning to make it a weekly event.

6 Months Old!

2008-11-23T17:21:00.001-08:00

Oops, there's poop on your camera...

2008-11-20T14:21:00.000-08:00

If anyone was thinking, "hmmmmm, I wonder what Josh and Stacey are up to today?" here's a little series of photos to keep you in the know.

It took us 45 minutes to get this one cleaned up. Afterwards, Jack got to take his first bath with his Daddy. And yes, I really did get poop on Josh's camera. Good times.

This isn't funny guys...

2008-11-19T09:35:00.000-08:00

Jack Can Sit!

2008-11-15T10:16:00.000-08:00

Look who can sit up all by himself! He topples over after about 15 seconds, but it's still pretty exciting.

Vegetables = Yucky

2008-11-14T08:06:00.000-08:00

Spoiled at Gramma & Grandpa's House

2008-11-10T10:52:00.000-08:00

Toys, toys, and more toys...
Grif loves to go to his grandparent's house too (here he's waiting for a piece of toast...with butter).

Jack LOVES his grandpa!

No More Bumbo

2008-11-09T07:46:00.000-08:00

The Bumbo can no longer safely contain my "extraordinarily active" baby. Notice what he's reaching for. Can you guess why we have ear plugs? I'll give you a hint - it's *not* because Griffen has started barking all night. Josh's snoring would be a good guess - but it would be wrong. That's right - we're implementing the cruel and unusual "cry it out" strategy to help Jack learn to fall back to sleep when he wakes up at night. (Incidentally, these particular ear plugs have a noise reduction rating of 29 decibels, and they only succeed at dulling the noise of Jack's crying.) I'm not going to lie, it's horrible and heart-wrenching to listen to your baby scream and not run to comfort him. He's doing great though. Last night was the fourth night and he only woke up once, cried for exactly 4 minutes, and fell back to sleep. Hopefully he won't have any lasting emotional damage, but the truth is I NEED a full night's sleep in order to have the energy to be a good mommy all day long. So, hopefully Josh and I can stay strong, and Jack can stay asleep!

Places To Go, Things To Do...

2008-11-08T07:52:00.000-08:00

Jack is doing a little early Christmas shopping from the Pottery Barn catalog. The photos came out a little blurry because HE NEVER STOPS MOVING. EVER.

He had a physical therapy appointment this morning.* His therapist was very impressed with his progress. The last time we were there he would start screaming the minute you put him on his belly, and now he lays there happily playing with toys for 15 minutes or more. He is also trying VERY hard to move. He actually pulls himself on his belly across the floor to get to a toy he wants (sometimes even giving himself "floor burns" on his belly from dragging it). Apparently, this is an unusual tactic. Most babies first master pushing up to their hands (he only pushes up to his forearms) and hang out in that position while looking around. Jack, however, doesn't "hang out." In fact, he hasn't remained in a stationary position during any waking moment since the day he was born (and actually well before that, as his exhausted mama can attest to). The therapist was enjoying his antics, and turned to me and said, "Wow, he is an extraordinarily active baby for his age." She was gracious enough to leave out the implied, "you're in deep s**t lady, you're going to have your hands so full, and you don't even realize it yet," but I heard it loud and clear.

*For those of you who I haven't talked to in a while, he was diagnosed with plagiocephaly (flat head) and torticollis (twisted neck - in his case, he only wants to look to the left). He has been doing physical therapy for the past month, and has made tremendous progress.

Sigrún Pétursdóttir

2008-11-07T14:04:00.000-08:00

Sigrún came for a visit last weekend, and Jack was excited to see her (so were Josh and I, but we didn't giggle and bounce about it like he did). She is on a mission to teach him some Icelandic, or at the very least to make sure he can pronounce her name correctly. If she is successful, he will be the only one of her friends here in the states to do so.

Extra, Extra ~ Read All About It

2008-11-06T16:36:00.000-08:00

Apparently Jack doesn't like his newsboy hat as much as I do. (Josh wants me to say that he is now a delivery boy for the 'Daily Crier').

Does Jack need a helmet?

2008-11-04T09:27:00.000-08:00

Nope, no helmet here. Jack was referred to the Craniofacial Clinic at Children's Hospital so that the doctors there could decide if his plagiocephaly was severe enough to warrant treatment. They said that his was a mild case, and that the shape of his head would either improve or stay the same (but not get worse) over the next couple of months. So, we are just supposed to continue with the physical therapy for his torticollis, and not worry about his cute little lumpy head. Yeah!

Fish are Fascinating

2008-11-04T08:57:00.000-08:00

The whole family went down to the University of Washington Hospital last week for Josh's kidney check-up. It was fun to meet the doctors who have seen Josh since he was younger than Jack is now, and Jack was mesmerized by the fish tank in the hospital waiting room (thank goodness because we had a REALLY long wait...in fact, they forgot about us). It was a long day, but thankfully Jack saved his screaming meltdown for the car ride home. It made for a stressful drive for Josh and I, but at least the other hospital patrons were spared the wrath of our overly tired, fussy baby.

Lunch with Nana

2008-11-03T05:00:00.000-08:00

Jack shows off his new trick for his Nana ~ he can turn a perfectly good cookie (teething biscuit) into a mushy mess in no time flat.

Thank you to Kathleen for coming up to B'ham to hang out with the little bug & taking us all out to lunch.

Little Pumpkin

2008-11-02T08:40:00.000-08:00

Jack was (what else?) a "Jack-o-lantern" for Halloween. We dressed him up in his little furry pumpkin suit (which he wasn't very excited about) and walked up the street to the neighborhood pre-trick-or-treat party. He fell asleep in his Daddy's arms after less than 5 minutes, and slept through trick-or-treating (which consisted of knocking on the doors of four of our neighbors, two of whom weren't home). Happy 1st Halloween, Jack!

(Doesn't he remind you of the boy from "The Christmas Story" in his horrible little bunny suit?)

Horses

2008-11-02T07:46:00.000-08:00

Jack met Beth & Cassidy's horses the other day. He seemed to think they were pretty interesting. Plus, the babies look really cute all snugged in under our shirts. Just wait until he gets to go for his first ride...I bet he'll think that's pretty exciting!

Pumpkin Patch

2008-11-01T20:08:00.000-07:00

Jack went to the pumpkin patch with his Great-Gramma Vera, Gramma, Grandpa, and Auntie Lee last weekend. He liked feeling the pumpkins & of course wanted to get his mouth on all of them (we didn't let him). It was a beautiful day and everyone had lots of fun.

Jack got a Halloween card from Gramma Vera, and he liked it so much he tried to eat the envelope...

Naptime with Daddy

2008-10-10T14:20:00.001-07:00

No time to write...I'm going to go join the family nap!

Guess who found his feet?

2008-10-04T12:41:00.000-07:00

Jack can't believe that such wonderful toys have been hiding for so long just out of reach. Ever since he discovered them the other day he plays with them at every opportunity. He even managed to get his toes into his mouth a couple of times.

Aunt Alicia came over to visit today, but Jack thought she was boring so he fell sound asleep.

Rice cereal is yummy!

2008-09-15T20:12:00.000-07:00

Jack ate his first solid food on Thursday. He is still trying to figure out the mechanics of getting the cereal into his mouth and swallowing without his tongue getting in the way. I think it was a good first attempt though.

Jack's first solid food.

Choo Choo, Woo Woo!

2008-09-14T11:17:00.000-07:00

Jack fits in his conductor overalls now. That last photo is his excited face - in this case elicited because his daddy was shaking the crib mattress to make "earthquakes".

Tummy Time

2008-09-04T09:10:00.000-07:00

Jack HATES tummy time. He hates it slightly less now that he has his new tummy time activity mat. He finds the baby in the mirror to be alternately fascinating, hilarious, and terrifying. Hey, come to think of it, that's a little how I feel about him too...

Big boys sit in Bumbos

2008-08-25T16:30:00.000-07:00

The Bumbo Baby Sitter is this clever little baby seat made out of a squooshy foam material. It has a soft rounded seat, cut-outs for little legs & a tray that attaches to the front for feeding (once he graduates to solids). Our friends Chad & Beth recommended the Bumbo, as their daughter Cassidy loves hers. Today was the first day that Jack seemed interested in sitting in his chair (for more than 30 seconds) - and with his new improved head control, I didn't have to help him to stay upright (although I still used a pillow behind his head for my peace of mind). He seemed to think that the new view of the world was quite interesting, and was content to sit there and play with his toys for quite a while.

Reading Hurts!

2008-08-20T07:08:00.001-07:00

It's hard (impossible) to see in this photo, but there are cuts on his fingers.
A few days ago, Jack started reaching for the pages as I was reading his books to him. I teased that he was trying to turn the pages...but the more I watched him, the more it seemed like he actually was. So, I let him try, and sure enough he turned the page. I have to hold it out a little at the corner so that he can get a good grip, but he takes hold of it and turns it (about 80% of the time anyway). I thought it was so neat that he was enjoying his books so much, that I read to him tons that day... The next morning when I looked at his little fingers I discovered six little paper cuts. Ouch! I felt really bad that I hadn't noticed he was cutting himself while we were reading. So, at least until the cuts have healed, I'm turning the pages of the paper books, and letting him turn the pages of the board books. His favorites so far are "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" and "Are You My Mother?" Anything with big, colorful pictures - especially red. He LOVES the butterfly picture at the end of the caterpillar book, and the Snort (bulldozer) in "Are You My Mother?".

Incidentally, I'm wearing a band-aid in this picture because I have a paper cut also... I was trying to read one of my cooking magazines while holding Jack. He managed to kick his feet in just such a way as to grate the edge of the page against my finger. He certainly has busy little feet.

Bathing Beauty

2008-08-14T13:45:00.000-07:00

Jack has graduated to sink baths. He seems okay with the whole thing...but just okay. He doesn't fuss, but doesn't seem overjoyed by the process either. I try to make it fun, but he seems less than amused by my antics, and is always eager to get out. It takes a while afterwards to get him dry and warm and happy again, so I am fairly lazy about his bathing schedule. He gets a full bath only once a week (or more if he really needs it - I will leave a detailed description of what that means to your imaginations).

Cutie in Booties

2008-08-14T12:41:00.000-07:00

A huge thank you to the lovely & talented Emily (recent graduate of WWU's Woodring College of Education, soon to be elementary school teacher, good friend, and knitter of badass booties...who knew?) for Jack's newest footwear (see above)! Thank goodness, because he had just grown out of his previous pair of booties that our friend Kerri (another amazing person - marine biologist, loving mother to Bella, and one of the nicest people I know) had made for him while he was still swimming around in my tummy. How do these ladies find the time to knit? Amazing I tell you.

Kerri with Jack at 3 days old - sporting her handmade booties (the only thing that fit his tiny little feet for the first month and a half).

Emily with Jack - 2 months old.

Long Day

2008-08-11T10:24:00.001-07:00

Jack is a busy little baby, and by the end of the day he is usually ready for a good long nap.

iBaby

2008-08-09T15:50:00.000-07:00

Jack's Feet

2008-08-07T14:41:00.000-07:00

Jack's feet smell like...well, like feet. Stinky feet to be more precise. The rest of him smells like a sweet little baby (with the occasional exception of his back end) but those cute little tootsies smell like ten-day old gym socks.
They are also ticklish. He didn't used to react in the slightest to our tickling attempts, but today he started to twitch his feet away as Josh would tickle them. It was pretty funny.

It's been a rough day.

2008-07-28T16:52:00.000-07:00

That's right, my baby is sleeping on his head. What's it to ya?
Jack was screaming at us mercilessly this afternoon. We were at a bit of a loss as to what to do. He had been fed, burped, changed, rocked, held, given Gripe Water - all to no avail. Hip-hop music worked for a while, but only when combined with Josh dancing with him, and sadly Josh had to get back to work. So, I strapped him into his carseat to take him for a drive. He could imagine nothing worse, and let his opinion be known...loudly. So, while I was trying frantically to collect my purse and keys and get out the door, I left him with Josh. When I came back mere moments later, Jack was sound asleep...in the position you see him here. I'm not sure how his car seat ended up in this position, or why Josh saw fit to tip him on his head, and to be honest I don't really care. It made him not only stop crying, but fall asleep (for a few minutes anyway).

Jack is sporting this season's hottest design in diaper covers...

2008-07-25T20:46:00.000-07:00

Now that Jack weighs in at a whopping 11 pounds, he is finally big enough to wear cloth diapers. I know, I know...back in the days before disposables, babies wore cloth diapers from the time they were newborns...but back then there was no other choice. When Jack came home from the hospital, I tried to put a cloth diaper on him and it was just ridiculously huge. I could have diapered him from head to toe with room to spare. So, I decided to wait a while for him to grow into them. For his part, Jack seemed unfazed by the change. He promptly peed in his new diaper (with no leaks, I was pleased to discover). The diaper cover is a bit stiff, and it seems to make it harder for him to move his legs, so perhaps we'll try another brand. Overall though, I would say that it was a successful first foray into the world of cloth diapering.

2 Months (and still going strong...)

2008-07-24T10:47:00.000-07:00

I have been pumping more successfully lately, so Josh is now able to give Jack a bottle every day. It's so sweet to watch him feed the little man. Look how he stares up at his daddy while he eats. I love it.

He had his 2 month checkup yesterday with Dr. McGuinness. He weighed in at exactly 11 pounds, and is now 22 1/2 inches long (his birth weight was 7 lbs. 7 oz. and his length was 19 1/9), so he has been busy growing. Based on oodles of statistical data, the doc was able to predict Jack's adult height with 90% certainty to within +/- 2". Any guesses? It was taller than I expected based on his parents' rather puny statures (but still not exactly what you would think of as tall).

Apparently, he has positional plagiocephaly of the right occipital (which is an unnecessarily frightening term for flattened head). Luckily, it hasn't caused any migration of the right ear, which frankly sounds a little scary to me, but he does have a big flat spot. We're supposed to try to convince him to sleep with his head turned to the left (yeah right).

He did great at the doctor's office, bestowing his big goofy grin on passersby in the hallway, the receptionist, the nurse, and his doctor. He laid on the table looking around the room and cooing for most of the visit. He was in such a rare good mood that I was really wishing we didn't have to ruin it by giving him his shots...but such is life. He got four immunizations - one orally and three as shots. The oral vaccine was for Rotavirus. The first shot was a combined Diptheria, Tetanus, Pertussis (Whooping Cough) vaccine (DPT) as well as Hepatitis B. The second was for Pneumococcus, and the third was for Hemophilus Influenza (HIB). He didn't care much for the shots. That's all I'm going to say about that.

The doctor warned me that he might run a slight fever and feel achy for the next 24 hours or so after getting his vaccines. He suggested that I give him infant Tylenol as soon as we got home, and every 4 hours if he continued to act like he didn't feel well. He slept most of yesterday, and is still pretty sleepy this morning. I gave him another dose of Tylenol already today because when he woke up he laid in his bed quietly fussing and crying big crocodile tears. So sad. He also feels a little warm, but nothing too serious. He bled when he got his shots, and got little tiny Snoopy band-aids to cover up his battle scars. He still has little lumps where the needles went in (two on one thigh and one on the other). Poor little bug. I wish I could have just gotten the shots for him.

*Update* I was just reading through the handout that the doctor gave me to take home. It includes a section on nutrition, behavior, and safety - what you can expect at this age. In the safety section, it says, "Do not leave your baby unattended on a bed or changing table or with your siblings or pets." So, I guess my sister won't be babysitting anymore. Good thing they warned me - I had no idea that it was so dangerous.

Happy Birthday to Me

2008-07-22T07:23:00.000-07:00

Jack put on his spiffiest outfit for my birthday dinner.
Last Thursday was my 30th birthday! My sister came up for the day to help take care of Jack so that I could get a few things done. I cleaned up the house, made a dinner plan (my parents were coming up for dinner to celebrate with us), and was feeling so on top of things by noon that I decided to go to the gym and incapacitate myself for the next three days. I guess I like to make things hard on myself.

I started exercising again in earnest after my 6 week postpartum checkup, which is when the doctor makes sure everything is all healed up and gives you the go-ahead to resume all normal activity. I am anxious to get back into shape, and it's nice to get out of the house and do something for myself every day. So, on my birthday I decided to try a new class. It sounded a little intimidating - it was one of those group weight training classes - but I was feeling brave. By the end of the hour, my muscles felt like jello, and I could barely walk up the stairs. I knew I was in trouble. The next morning I could barely walk. Oh well. Nothing a few days and some rest won't cure. Unfortunately, I don't have time for much rest these days... At any rate, I'm going back to the class this Thursday, I'm just going to try to take it a little easier. If I'm going to run around after a mini-Josh all day, I'm going to have to be strong!

Jack fancies himself to be a boating sort.

2008-07-22T07:16:00.000-07:00

Captain Jack - ready for an afternoon paddle in the canoe or a trip out on Grandpa's boat to bring in the crab pots.

Why I shouldn't go to the mall...

2008-07-19T16:08:00.000-07:00

Josh and I were at the checkout counter at Victoria's Secret today with Jack in his stroller next to us. The store was pretty crowded, and the line was very long. While the woman was ringing us up, another cashier opened up next to us. I saw her getting her cash register set up, so I scooted the stroller in a little closer to the counter. The sales girl who had just opened called out to the next woman line, but the woman ignored her. She again tried to get her attention, and the woman turned to her and said, in a loud exaggerated voice, "oh, I can't...there's a stroller in my way" (somehow managing to make "stroller" sound like an expletive). I couldn't believe what I had just heard. I turned to double check that my stroller was in fact well out of the pathway, and then looked at her, incredulous. I turned back around and shared a "can you believe she just said that" look with the sales girls and the other customers in line. Josh asked me if I wanted him to take the stroller outside. By this point I was really pissed. I said (loudly) that our stroller and our baby were fine right where they were and that we weren't going to move them. Thank goodness Josh was there to tell me to calm down. I seriously wanted to rip the woman's throat out. The cashier handled it without batting an eye. She just turned to the next people in line, and asked if they would like to checkout. They (all four of them) walked easily by the stroller with room to spare.

On the way home I was trying to figure out why this silly incident made me so upset. I guess I'm still feeling a little awkward about taking Jack out places - what with all of the gear that I have to schlep along (carseat, stroller, diaper bag, etc.) for even the simplest of outings. Plus, I feel fiercely protective of my baby. And while this horrible little shrew of a woman didn't exactly insult him, she came too close for my comfort.

*Note* The above shown photo is not of the actual woman described in my post, but at least in my mind this is pretty much what she looked like.

In the meantime...

2008-07-19T08:07:00.000-07:00

I have a new (well, new to me...Josh has had it for a long time) little video camera to play with. So, in the near future you will all be treated to (or subjected to, depending on your point of view) videos of my son's exciting daily activities. So far I have footage of him playing with his fish mobile, having the hiccups, and laying on his back like a lump while I try to get him to smile for the camera... Unfortunately, I have no idea how to edit these clips (and I assume no one wants to watch 20 minutes of Jack's hiccups - except for me that is). So, after several failed attempts with a video editing program, I finally had to ask for Josh's help. I HATE asking for his help with anything computer related. I don't know why I have to have such an ego about it - I know that he knows more than I do, and he's always very patient and willing to teach me. I just like to think that I can do everything by myself. I know, it's ridiculous. I'm a goober.

So, Josh is going to show me how to edit my videos this afternoon, after which I will make some more posts. However, in the meantime, look how cute my baby is... This is a photo of us at Caspian's first birthday party last Saturday (birthday post yet to come).

Physical Therapy?

2008-07-14T10:30:00.000-07:00

Uncle Andrew is doing physical therapy for his recently reconstructed shoulder by swinging Jack's carseat back and forth (one of Jack's favorite activities).

We're begging you Jack, please STOP SCREAMING!

2008-07-13T20:33:00.000-07:00

I was trying to take a picture of Jack's cute little baby mullet (which is coming in quite nicely) but he wasn't in the mood to be photographed.

You Rock, Gramma!

2008-07-07T20:52:00.001-07:00

Jack is looking cool in his new onesie from his Great-Gramma Vera.

Griffen & Jack Hate the 4th of July!

2008-07-04T17:26:00.000-07:00

This is what's going on at our house, right now, this minute (well, at least the minute I made this post).

Josh is getting a lot of work done.

Griffen is completely stoned (we finally broke down and decided to sedate him this year to try to spare him the effects of the fireworks). So far it isn't really working. Now he is just sleepy and scared. He has been hiding under Josh's desk all afternoon, which doesn't bode well for when the real fireworks start this evening. Good times.

Catsup (I mean Catch-Up) Post

2008-07-04T16:24:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you're all dying to know what's been going on here at 'Root House: The Next Generation,' and I apologize for my egregious lack of posting over the past week (and a half...). Having a screaming baby in the house (tune in for tomorrow's 'Adventures With Colic' post) tends to make the days (and nights) all blur together, especially when you're also sleep-deprived. In the brief moments of calm, I have been frantically trying to get things done before the next episode begins (taking a shower, brushing my teeth, tackling the mountain of laundry) and so haven't had a lot of time for blogging. There have been some fun things going on at our house nonetheless, and of course we have been taking photos. So, here is the week in review for your enjoyment...

Our beautiful new Icelandic Au Pair...

Ok, ok...she's not our au pair, but she is our wonderful friend Sigrun (sorry, there are no accents in this program) who is visiting from Iceland, and she does have some wicked baby-calming skills.

She even helped us go out to a nice dinner at one of our favorite restaurants (The Big Fat Fish Co.) by taking turns walking around with Jack when he got fussy. Between her and Josh I got to sit and eat the entire meal in (relative) peace! Yay for thoughtful friends and husbands.

Clarity & Caspian came over to visit. It was a warm, sunny afternoon, so we went for a walk with the babies and then hung out in the front yard.

Caspian took a dip in our new pool.

Great-Grandma Kay and Grandma Kathleen made the trek up to B-ham and brought us yummy Gere-a-Deli sandwiches for lunch. Jack snoozed in his Great-Grandma's arms. His little tummy was bubbling up a storm that day, but she was able to calm him down and help him relax.

Bethany Sternberg came up to meet Jack. She is now 20 weeks pregnant, and the newest member of the Sternberg clan should be arriving in November! She looks beautiful, and is feeling much better now that the dreaded morning sickness has passed. We had fun talking about pregnancy/birth/baby stuff and it was great to see her.

We got to meet our friends Chris & Mandy's new baby. Gwenivere was born the day after Jack (6 weeks early) and mom & baby are both doing great. Gwen is absolutely adorable and makes Jack look like a giant. She's still in the "sleepy phase" that Jack went through for the first few weeks after he came home (those were the days), but Jack fussed during our visit to give them a preview of what's to come... A big congratulations to Mandy & Chris on their beautiful little girl. I'm sure our families will have lots of fun adventures together in the future!
Jack is slowing learning to like bath time. He likes showers just fine, but it's hard to hold onto his slippery, wiggly little body AND wash him at the same time. So, while he may prefer showers, I prefer baths...

Jack meets Maya & Chloe

2008-06-25T11:04:00.003-07:00

Nicole brought the girls up for a visit on Tuesday so that they could meet Jack. It was great to see them - with everyone's busy schedules we definitely don't get together often enough! Now we just have to convince them to babysit in a few years. They seemed skeptical. I was dying to babysit at their age (changing diapers for $2 an hour, sign me up)...they must just be smarter than I was. We'll have to buy them the Babysitter's Club books for Christmas. Perhaps that will turn them around on the subject.

Here the girls are reading Gallop (a St. Present's Day gift from Kathleen). The "scanimation" in this book is incredibly clever. Jack already enjoys watching the movement of the pictures. Maya & Chloe also enjoyed Jack's book about farts (a present from our friend Michelle...I can't wait until Jack is their age so that he can appreciate it too).

Chloe & Jack

Maya & Jack

Happy (1 Month) Birthday Jack!

2008-06-25T09:48:00.001-07:00

Since I didn't make a proper "birthday" post on Monday, I'm just going to upload some photos from the past week for your viewing pleasure (I stole some of these photos from Josh, so there may be repeats on BrothersRoot).

I can't believe that the little bugger is already a month old - it's gone by so quickly (maybe that's because I'm so sleep deprived that it all feels like one really long day). Seriously, Josh and I find that we never know what day of the week or time of day (or night) it is. It all just sort of blends together. Unfortunately for Josh, he keeps thinking it's Friday when it's not...wishful thinking I guess, but disappointing when you realize that the weekend is still days away.

Jack meets his Uncle Ben.

Janee' (sorry, this stupid blog program doesn't have proper accents) was in town for the weekend, and stopped by with my sister to say hello to the newest member of the family.

Jack & his daddy. Laying upside down always helps with gas-related fussiness... (makes sense to me).

See how he makes eye contact now? I love it!

Clarification

2008-06-21T11:08:00.000-07:00

Just a clarification about yesterday's post. I don't actually want your old meat. I happened upon that request when I was perusing yesterday's Freecycle listings, thought it was odd, and so posted it on the blog. The woman who posted the request is named Carol & her Skagit Freecycle ID is "geepers 578". Feel free to contact her, but please, whatever you do, don't send me your old, freezer-burned meat. I have enough problems as it is...

Old Meat

2008-06-20T10:35:00.000-07:00

Here's a post from today's Skagit Freecycle list for your consideration:

WANTED: raw meat

Do you have some old meat in your freezer that you don't want, will
never use, or that has been sitting there too long? I'm looking for
old meat (beef, pork, poultry, fish, game, etc) that is raw (not
cooked, no casseroles, no sauces, no spices, no breading, just raw).
Freezer burned is not a problem.

I would like to come by and get it at your convenience.

Thanks in advance,
Carol ("geepers578")

Jack's New Toy

2008-06-20T10:14:00.000-07:00

Since it turns out that Jack hated the jiggle chair that we bought him, we returned it and upgraded to the Fisher Price Rainforest Cradle Swing (see above) as recommended by our friend Greg (and his daughter Jane). Jack's favorite thing about it is that it swings not only front to back but also side to side! My favorite thing is that it is a big ugly plastic piece of crap that thoroughly blocks the only thoroughfare in our tiny house. Poor Griffen doesn't like it so close to his bed either. We're all making adjustments... At least the little one is happy (and sleeping contentedly) for the moment.

Chillin'

2008-06-19T08:13:00.003-07:00

My daddy dressed me this morning...aren't I cute? The coffee stand girls certainly thought so! I swear, Josh has been hit on more in the past month than any married man deserves to be. There's just something really attractive for women about a handsome young dad taking care of his baby (especially if it seems like he might need their help - doesn't that hat need to be pulled up over the baby's eyes?). I'm really not exaggerating here. A woman tried to pick him up in the diaper aisle the other day. ("Pampers, huh? I like Huggies... It's tough being a single mom. Is it hard being a single dad?" and so on...) Are you kidding me? Did she think his two week old infant just hatched from an egg? (I guess he did, in a way, but you know what I mean.) He should have told her that Jack's mom ran off to Vegas to become a stripper. Probably could have gotten her digits.

For a woman on the other hand, toting a baby seems to be a potent man-repellent. Yesterday in the parking lot of the grocery store, the man getting out of the car next to me smiled and started up a conversation about the weather. I was busy trying to unload my multitude of bags and other assorted baby supplies (a simple errand to the store these days requires more gear than a 10-day trek through the mountains). As soon as I reached in to get Jack, however, he smiled apologetically, did a 180, and hurried away. Was it something I said?

Ouch, it's hurting my eyes!

2008-06-17T05:00:00.000-07:00

Here's Jack looking confused by the sun (and also perhaps by the giant floppy sun hat that his silly mommy put on him). Considering our recent weather, he just doesn't have much experience in the sunshine department yet. Not to worry though, I'm planning to take him in for an airbrush tan next week. We'll get him ready for swimsuit season in no time!

Poor Baby Thrush Mouth

2008-06-16T14:31:00.000-07:00

Jack & I survived our trip to the doctor's office. He does, in fact, have thrush. So, we have to rub medicine inside his mouth twice a day (which I'm sure will be loads of fun) and it should clear up in a week or so. It is a pretty mild case of thrush, as we caught it quite early, so is really nothing to worry about (other than the obvious discomfort).

Otherwise, Jack is in excellent health. His weight is up to 8 lbs. 1 oz., which is exactly where it should be based on his age (23 days) and birth weight (7 lbs. 7 oz.). Isn't it funny to think that he is so young that we are still counting his age in days? The doctor (Dr. McGuiness) was wonderful and really took his time examining Jack, explaining things to me, and answering my questions. His nurse was also one of those genuinely nice people who seem to really love their jobs. So, in a way I'm glad that I had to take him to the doctor, because now I feel like I have someone to call in case I have any other concerns.

The little patient is pretty calm this afternoon. As you can see in the photo, Oboe is doing his part to nurse him back to health. In addition to the frozen pacifiers, we have also found that he likes to suck on the ends of his new blankie toy. My Uncle Jack and Aunt Bobi sent him this cute little stuffed toy last week (thank you!), and as it turns out, it's also very practical. It's made from super soft cotton, and has little knots tied in each corner. I dampened one corner and popped it in the freezer until it was nice and cold. It's great for sucking on, and stays cool longer than the pacifier.

Happy Father's Day!

2008-06-16T09:01:00.000-07:00

The macaroni necklaces and fingerpaint creations will have to wait until Jack is a few years older. For Josh's first Father's Day, Jack decided to give him the gift of thrush. Well, actually he gave it to me (he's a little confused about how this whole gift thing works). At least we have an explanation now for why our previously delightful little baby has gotten fussier and fussier each day over the past week and a half. Yesterday we noticed some little white spots on his gums, which I was a little worried about. Last night he decided to stop eating entirely because it hurt too much. Instead, he tries to eat for a couple of seconds and then pulls away and screams in pain (a cycle which was repeated over and over and over again all night long). He is able to drink from a bottle more easily though, so I have resigned myself to near constant pumping. We also have a rotation of pacifiers in the freezer (one in his mouth, one cooling off, and one ready to go when he spits the first one out). This helps for about 2 minutes (until the pacifier starts to warm up). Apparently you're not supposed to use Baby Orajel until after 4 months of age - I'm going to talk to the pediatrician about this today though, just to be sure.

I have to say, it's horrible to watch your baby suffer. I know this isn't a serious condition by any means, but he's in pain, and I hate it. Any suggestions or tips would be appreciated!

We have a doctor's appointment at 11:30, so I'll post an update this afternoon.

Jack slept in his crib!

2008-06-13T08:35:00.000-07:00

I even have a photo to prove it! Okay, so it lasted for about 37 seconds - just enough time for me to grab a camera and snap a picture - but still, you have to start somewhere right?

Jack's musical preferences

2008-06-12T17:00:00.000-07:00

Of all the different musical selections we've tried, Jack seems to be partial to Wu-Tang Clan. On the one hand, I should be happy about this because while I am not a fan of hip hop in general, I have always had a secret fondness for Wu-Tang. There, I admitted it. I don't know why. Their lyrics represent everything I hate about the genre. They are particularly offensive and misogynistic. I just really like their voices, and their beats make me feel like dancin'. It's hard to dance from up here on my high, hip-hop-hating horse though. So, because I don't want to be one of "those" parents, I am going to make an effort to lighten up and dance with my son to Wu-Tang at least once a day. It'll do us both some good. I just hope the first words out of his precious little mouth aren't "bitch gimme my money".

Fun day...long night...

2008-06-12T11:06:00.000-07:00

Jack got lots of visitors yesterday. My gramma (Jack's great-gramma) stopped by with her friends on their way home from Birch Bay. They told stories about when their own kids were little and Jack snoozed peacefully while we passed him around from lap to lap.

Then Uncle Andrew & Aunt Gretchen came for a visit.

Next our friend Lisa & her adorable little girl Madelyn came to say hi. Mattie was so sweet with Jack. Here she's shrieking "AWAKE" because Jack had opened his eyes for a millisecond. He wisely decided to go back to sleep (or at least to fake it).
Things were going so well that Josh and I decided to join Andrew, Gretchen, Myke, Kevin, and Joey for sushi dinner at Osaka. Josh was going to meet us there after stopping by his CCA meeting. So, Andrew, Gretch, & Myke helped me to bundle Jack into his car seat for the drive to the restaurant. Before we even got out the door, he started screaming. By the time we got to the restaurant he was having a full blown meltdown. His little face was beet red and he was choking from crying so hard.

I crawled into the back seat with him, while everyone else went in to sit down. I nursed him until he settled down, but the calm was shattered by the giant explosive poop he took. I changed him on my lap (not the easiest thing to do while sharing the backseat of the car with a giant baby carseat), cleaned up, and fed him again. By this point he was so upset that he was crying while nursing. Very sad. Although not as sad as the fact that his little tear ducts produce actual tears now. This was the first time that not only did I have to endure his screaming, but also the big crocodile tears streaming down his cheeks. Somehow that makes it so much worse.

Josh arrived to find his wife in the backseat of the car looking frazzled and holding a screaming baby. I had already tried everything I could think of, so he tried some of his patented daddy techniques - jiggling, dancing, singing - all to no avail. I gave Josh my takeout order and headed home. The second I left the parking lot Jack went to sleep (not for long though).

He screamed and fussed on and off all night long. Seriously, all night long. I'm exhausted. Josh is exhausted. I can only surmise that Jack is too, although he did sleep most of the day yesterday, and probably will again today. Perhaps I will try to join him for a nap this afternoon.

At least I'm having a better morning than Clarity. She called to say that she had just uttered words that (pre-parenthood) she could have never imagined herself saying - "Please tell me where else you hid the poop..." At least we have that to look forward to in 10 months. Yay!

My baby likes rap music...

2008-06-10T11:16:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago, Jack was really fussy. We didn't know what else to do for him. He was clean, dry, and fed, and we had already exhausted our (admittedly rather limited) repertoire of baby calming techniques. So, Josh took him for a walk out to the shop, where some of the guys were hanging out and using the climbing wall. They had on really loud rap music. Jack settled down instantly. Josh came in to tell me how much Jack liked the rap music, but I was sure it was just a fluke.

On Saturday when I drove down to Anacortes, he was fussy again. I put on some nice relaxing classical music. He screamed so loud I thought he might shatter the glass of the car windows. I tried easy listening, sports talk, classic rock, jazz, and country. The crying only got louder. So, I gave in and found a station playing really obnoxious rap music and cranked it up loud. Of course he stopped crying.

I am currently sitting on the couch listening to a fine little ditty about "bitches & hos." As long as the music keeps blaring, my precious little boy snoozes peacefully. As soon as it gets quiet though, look out because all hell breaks loose.

This wasn't exactly the way I had expected to share the joy of music with my son for the first time, but at least my baby is happy (see photo if you don't believe me...notice the speakers right by his little head). Josh seems to be enjoying himself too (a little bit too much if you ask me - I think it's less the music he enjoys and more the fact that I am so annoyed by it). Perhaps I will invest in a pair of earplugs today.

A week in the life of Jack...

2008-06-09T19:03:00.000-07:00

Jack has had a very busy week.

He met his Uncle Andrew...
...and his Aunt Gretchen.

Clarity & Caspian came to visit.

He got to snooze in Grandpa's arms for hours.
His fussiness level has increased dramatically...
so, we bought him a vibrating chair.

He went to a BBQ at Tony & Myke's house.
We were both tired after all of that, so we took a nice long nap.

The Payoff

2008-06-09T18:57:00.000-07:00

Seeing Josh feed our baby makes the stupid pump worth the hassle... (but I still hate it).

The things we'll do for our babies...

2008-06-04T23:08:00.000-07:00

What is this woman's problem? Anyone who smiles like that while attached to a breast pump has something seriously wrong with them.

This week I joined the ranks of pumpers - women who willingly hook themselves up to these things and allow themselves to be milked like cows. I have never done anything in my entire life that has made me feel quite as ridiculous and un-sexy as this horrible contraption.

All I can say is that Jack is lucky he's so darn cute...

*In response to Sean's question about what kind of pump I used:

I started with a hand pump, but didn't have much success. It took me 45 minutes to get a measly ounce of milk, half of which leaked out through the seal between the bottle and the pump. After much online research and a conversation with the nice women at the Mother Baby Center (www.motherbabycenter.org) I think I figured out what went wrong. I followed the directions that came with the pump that said to boil all of the parts before using it for the 1st time. Apparently, doing so warps the plastic, weakening the seals and reducing the suction. Of course you can't return it. Awesome. So, I rented a fancy electric hospital grade pump before deciding whether or not to shell out the $250 for my own. It's definitely worth it!

Jack & Daddy

2008-05-29T20:29:00.000-07:00

I love these boys!

Welcome to the World Jack!

2008-05-26T09:08:00.000-07:00

Jack David Root was born at 2:44 am on Friday May 23rd. He weighed 7lbs 7oz, was 19.5 inches long, and was perfect in every way!

The delivery was a truly incredible experience. Thanks to the unwavering support of my wonderful husband, my amazing friend Clarity, and the best OB/GYN & labor and delivery nurse in the world, the entire process was exactly what we had hoped for.

On Wednesday evening I started having contractions that felt different than the Braxton-Hicks contractions I had been having. I was hoping it might be the beginnings of labor, but I didn't want to get my hopes up yet because I wasn't sure. So, I puttered around the house and tried to relax. I took a bath, tried to snooze on the couch, and pestered the dog since I had told Josh to get some sleep (after all, it could have been a false alarm, and I didn't want to keep him up all night since he had to work the next day). Around 2:00 I woke him up and told him that we should start making sure we had everything ready to leave for the hospital...just in case. We finally left the house around 4:30. We got down to Anacortes, and made ourselves at home at the Kozy Kottage (Josh's grandmother's house). I didn't want to go to the hospital until I absolutely had to, but this being my first baby I really had no idea when I should go. So, eventually I decided to go in so that they could check to see how far along I was. I was a mere 2cm dilated, so we went back to the house to wait it out.

Visits from friends & family helped to pass the time, but by around 6:00 I thought it might be time to head back to the hospital again. The contractions were starting to get more intense, and I thought it might be easier to get settled into a room at this point rather than later on. After I was admitted, the nurse gave me the news that I was still only 2cm dilated. I wasn't too disappointed, because I knew that things could progress slowly at this point, but I was just hoping I had made the right decision to go to the hospital. At this point, I got a phone call from my doctor, who apparently had been trying to reach us all afternoon, but only had our home number back in Bellingham. She told me that she was leaving the next day at 2 in the afternoon to take her daughter's Girl Scout troop camping. She wanted to offer me the option of having her break my water to help speed things along. This was the hardest decision I had to make throughout my entire labor. I had decided early on that I wasn't going to do anything to speed up the process, and that I would be content to let things progress at their own pace. I was dead set against taking Pitocin, since it can make the contractions more intense and harder to deal with, but I hadn't put much thought into having my water broken. I just assumed that I wouldn't do it. I REALLY wanted my doctor to deliver the baby though, and I didn't feel like the experience would be the same with a different doctor who I didn't feel as comfortable with. So, I told her to come on down to the hospital and break that sucker open.

It turned out to the the right decision in so many ways. First of all, I can't imagine having had anyone else do the delivery. She was amazing and incredibly supportive. In fact, she bent over backwards to make sure that Josh and I got to have the birth experience that we wanted. Second of all, she didn't really even have to "break" my water, but who knows how long things would have taken if she hadn't come then. As soon as she arrived, she checked me to see if I had dilated any farther. Just by taking the measurement, she broke through a little bit of skin on my cervix that had remained attached, and I "popped" open to 5cm. She didn't even have to use the crochet hook thingy to break my water, just touching the sac with her finger caused it to rupture. After that, it was on.

I spent the next several hours working through contractions with Josh and Clarity at my side. Mom, Dad, Gramma, Alicia, and Kathleen were in the waiting room, receiving regular updates from Josh via text messages. At some point it was determined, based on my back labor and the pattern of my contractions, that Jack was posterior. This means that the baby's is head down in the birth canal, but facing forward (instead of towards mom's backbone). An ultrasound showed that he was only half-way posterior, facing directly towards my left side. So, I spent the next couple of hours laboring alternately on my side and my hands and knees to try to encourage him to turn. This was the most difficult part of the labor for me, because the positions just didn't feel right, and I was starting to get exhausted. I decided to take a couple of low doses of fentanyl through an IV. I wasn't sure I wanted to take anything, since I had gone this far "naturally" and really wanted to go the rest of the way. I was glad after I did it though. It didn't make me feel funny or drugged. It felt exactly like drinking one beer - you aren't drunk, and you certainly aren't numb to pain, but you feel just a little more relaxed - which turned out to be exactly what I needed to get him to turn (good job, Jack!).

After he turned, the pain in my back stopped, and I was able to breathe through the contractions much more easily. I knew my baby was coming soon, and when I needed support I could look to Clarity on one side and Josh on the other. I had been so deep inside myself during the part of the labor when we were trying to get him to reposition himself that I had barely been aware of anyone or anything else. So, to come out of the fog and have both of them there felt amazing to me. They talked me through the last few hours of contractions when I was dilating from 8cm to 10cm. Dr. Garde arrived, and Susan (my fantastic labor & delivery nurse) told me that it was just about "time." In my birth plan, I had asked for a mirror to look at Jack's head as he crowned. I assumed that someone would hold up a hand mirror at the moment his head popped out, but boy was I wrong. They set up a full length mirror at the end of the bed, and I got to watch the entire thing. During the final few contractions I just focused on his little head as is inched its way out a little more each time. I knew he was so close. I reached down and felt his warm little scalp covered in hair, and I knew I could do anything to get him out and into my arms.

We took the end part slowly so that I wouldn't tear, and Dr. Garde worked with me to ease him out a little at a time. By this point, Josh had suited up in scrubs and was standing by to "catch" the baby. To be honest, neither one of us fully understood what this meant when we put it in our birth plan. I thought that the doctor would probably deliver the baby and then hand him to his dad to bring up to my chest. Instead, she literally let Josh deliver our son. As soon as the head was out, Josh stepped in and guided out one shoulder then the other, "catching" the baby. I had my eyes closed for this part, so I'm really glad that Josh got to be there to experience it. He brought Jack up to my chest, and I cried and laughed and just felt generally overwhelmed. He squirmed up to my breast and tried to nurse, and was eating his first little meal within 2 minutes of being born. He was perfect. It was perfect. I was in complete and total awe of the life that we had created.

Three days later I am still in awe. We got to go home from the hospital 17 hours after he was born (which is pretty amazing - but everyone was healthy and we were anxious to get home to our comfy bed). Since then we have had lots of visits from friends and family, and lots of help with meals since we've been a little too distracted for grocery shopping or cooking. Other than that, we are just working on figuring out what works for our family. Everything requires a bit of trial and error at this point, but I have faith in all three of us.

Lots of love to all of our friends & family for their support and help in welcoming Jack to the world!

Early labor

Grif was a little worried

The love of my life
Thank God for Clarity

Jack is almost here!
Seconds after birth

Jack meets his grandpa
Home safe and sound

Nesting

2008-05-18T14:08:00.000-07:00

I think I'm "nesting". Since I obviously have no control over the things I really want to (my body, the impending birth of my child, and the sometimes terrifying idea that I am going to be someone's mom and that he is going to expect me to know what I'm doing) I am instead exerting control over household clutter. I feel like one of those frantic little mommy squirrels you see burying their stashes of food, only to return 2 minutes later to dig them up and rebury them. After months of being exhausted and lethargic, I am relishing in all of this energy. Accomplishments over the past three days include:

Cleaning out my closet, resulting in 3 huge garbage bags of clothes for the Goodwill (I hope I don't miss anything later...I was in a pretty brutal purging mood).
Packing away winter coats, scarves, and hats to be stored in the attic.
Washing all of my "hand-washable" clothing.
Organizing my sock and underwear drawers.
Pestering Josh until he installed my new shoe rack, and then neatly putting away all of my shoes.
Packing hospital bag.
Unpacking hospital bag.
Repacking hospital bag (after going to Fred Meyer to buy a new toiletries case with tiny bottles for shampoo & such, a stopwatch for timing contractions, Old Navy for two new $5 tank tops to fit over my giant belly and a footed sleeper for Jack, and to Ross for a new purse - all of which seemed critically important for my stay at the hospital).

As a side note, it was on this same trip to Fred Meyer that I bought the bananas that started the above-mentioned freak out. They looked so good, and $.89/lb. for organic bananas seemed like too good of a deal to pass up.

Going back to Fred Meyer to return the stopwatch that didn't work.
Going back to Old Navy to buy two more $5 tank tops (I pilfered the first two out of the packed suitcase and have already spilled on them multiple times).
Going back to Ross to buy new couch pillows and a throw blanket.
Going to Bed Bath & Beyond to buy drawer organizers for our dressers and curtain rods for the new kitchen curtains.
Buying a lightweight quilt for the bed because at night I feel like I'm broiling alive in my skin.

After looking at 4 different places, I found the perfect thing at "Tuesday Morning," the discount store with the stupid name and even worse commercials. Personally, I like my bargain emporiums to have straight up names like "Deals Only" or "Barganica." Or, at the very least, to explain their contents in big bold letters on the sign (like "Daiso, The Japanese Store, Almost Everything's $1.50"). I want to know what to expect when I walk in the door. So, because the name annoyed me, I have avoided setting foot in "Tuesday Morning" for the year and a half that we have lived here. I must admit, however, that I was wrong (not about the stupid name...it's still stupid...but about the merchandise). This place is great for discounted (although not necessarily cheap) housewares, and is far more organized and less crowded than Ross (my other discount housewares standby).

Baking two chicken tetrazzinis (one for dinner and one to add to the growing collection of freezer meals for after Jack is born).

And on, and on, and on... The rather humorous result of all of this organizing is that my house actually looks worse than it did when I started since I'm pulling clutter out of its hiding places. If this baby holds on for another week though, Martha Stewart won't have diddly squat on this house.

Going Bananas

2008-05-18T08:02:00.000-07:00

Okay, I admit it. My hormones have taken over, and I have completely lost my grip on reality. Teeny, tiny little problems get blown WAY out of proportion in my pregnancy riddled brain.

Case in point: the bananas. There were 7 of them sitting on the counter (which I thought was far too many) and they were rapidly aging past their prime. Just imagine the dire consequences if we were to a: have to thrown them away, or b: forget them in a mad dash to the hospital to deliver the baby. The first would be wasteful, and the second would mean that we would have to bring our baby home to a house that smelled like stinky old bananas. You can imagine my horror. So, I came up with a plan. I forced myself to eat two of them, even though I didn't really want to. Then, I got to work doing the only logical thing I could think of, scouring the internet for overly complex and time-consuming recipes that called for bananas. This resulted in two delicious treats:

Sauteed Bananas with Cardamom Praline Sauce
(recipe courtesy of epicurious.com)

I borrowed the photo from the Epicurious website because our ice cream was melting too fast to stop and find a camera.

Wheat Germ & Banana Muffins (also from my favorite recipe website epicurious.com) will be going into the oven tonight after our house is no longer a million bajillion degrees.

This is the second time I've made these and they are yummy & also pretty healthy...well, after all my "improvements" to the recipe that is. After all of the substitutions I made, the final product probably bears only a vague resemblance to the original. For those who may be interested (I'm talking to you Gramma - and no, I don't believe your proclamation about giving up cooking) here is the edited version of the recipe with my modifications (click on the link above, and follow the original preparation instructions):

1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 cup toasted wheat germ
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3)
1/4 cup milk
2 large eggs
1/3 cup low-fat sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg