Okay, so he knows he really wants to crawl, he gets into position, gets this awesome determined look on his lil' face, moves his hips a little as though he wants to scoot... and ... and...
...rolls over. But only in one direction. So, he ends up... more times than not... squished under the couch. He fusses until someone rescues him. Then he starts it all up again. It won't be long before he is OFF to the races!
He smiles pretty much all the time. When he wakes up, he smiles. If he catches your eye, he smiles. If he hears a noise (other than the public potty flush,) he smiles. It's really hard NOT to be happy around this little guy.
He even thinks it's funny NOT to take a bottle. He just bites the edge to prevent any drops from actually getting into his mouth. Then he just laughs at me... I mean, to me.
He is also doing some major teething. He sucks and chews on anything. I didn't realize that this toy bar would actually become his favorite chew bar, but it's just the right consistency I guess. And, it keeps him busy while he waits for me to prepare his food. This is what he eats in for now.
His giggle and cry are very quickly switched on and off, as seen in this video called "Happy, mad, happy" where he demonstrates these tiny mood swings. I can't help but laugh.
"This is the way the ladies ride..." This was Baby Jack's favorite activity too. I have probably repeated these phrases one thousand times. You can hear Jack get excited in the background when I get ready to say, "... the COWBOYS ride..." I love seeing him enjoy his brother having a good time.
Then it was Jack's turn...
I am trying to soak in every precious moment with these boys. It is sometimes so hard for me to remember Jack at this age. I think that is why I love doing this little activity so much with Davis; I just start saying the words and the memories flood back in.
They are $13.00 each, so before I buy one, I thought I'd see if any of you have had success (or lack of success) with this product. Ask your friends, too!
Please let me know asap... I would LOVE to go on this week-long road trip with a bottle he will at least TRY!
I just received word from Mark and Renee that both of Noah's surgeries went well and the surgeons are pleased with the initial results. Please continue to pray that Noah's body will adjust well to his new digestive anatomy (they will slowly begin feedings soon) and that his brain will quickly adjust to using his eyes in their new orientation.
I am always inspired by Renee's honesty, humility, and faith in the face of trials. She and Mark handle life with such grace, leaning not on their own understanding. Thanks for remembering this sweet family in your prayers as this is just the beginning of a long road for them and their little man. Isn't he too cute? I could just eat him up.
Davis is six months old. I can't believe it. He is the EASIEST baby. I know I keep saying that, but Jack was pretty easy too. Until he became the baby food sprinkler for about two years.
Anyway, the six month facts:
He still absolutely will not take a bottle. If you are thinking, "He would if she would let him get hungry enough!," then please just make sure you don't say it to me. It's okay to think it. I would be thinking it too... if I were you.
He eats rice cereal (mixed with water), green beans, sweet potatoes, and now butternut squash. He breaks out with apples, bananas, and pears.
He sleeps from about 9 pm to 9 am, eats, poops, changes clothes, then sleeps again from 10:30 to about noon. He takes his long nap from about 2pm to 5:30pm every day and is then up until bedtime. Yes, we are very very lucky. He loves his infant carrier and Mommy does too. He HATES when his face is covered for that split second it takes to pull his shirt over his head. He also hates the flush of the public bathroom. When I can, we leave the stall and let Jack flush it when we are far away. Unfortunately, the "magic potty" flushes on its own and scares the bejeezers out of him every time.
His sole means of transportation is rolling. He is not scooting, crawling, or sitting up on his own, but we hold him so much he doesn't really have much chance to learn. He laughs when Jack speeds by him with his cars, so there are permanent carpet tracks around his Jumperoo where Jack likes to make him laugh so hard he gets the hiccups.
He has sensitive skin and almost always has pink cheeks or a rashy chin from the drool, bibs, and cold air. He does really well when we drop him off in the nursery or at church and has not exhibited any separation anxiety yet when others hold him, when I leave the room, etc. Not yet. Jack still loves loves loves his brother and uses him as an excuse to get out of bed any time he can. "I forgot to kiss DAVE!" ...ten minutes later... "I forgot to hug DAVE!"... It's so cute (the first two times) but we have had to nip it before it gets out of hand.
Here is Jack Everett with Davis just after they first met in the NICU. Davis was still on the feeding tube and oxygen and if you listen closely you can hear his little hiccups. Jack seems so babyish in this video... he seems so much bigger now.
And here is is making him laugh before bedtime. You can hear that big brother Mr. Giggles is not very tired. Jack is always dying to see the video before finishing whatever he is doing. He has figured out that the cuter he is, the later he gets to stay up. I wouldn't trade these giggly nights with my boys for anything in the world.
We can hardly keep those socks on. Happy Half-Birthday, little man!
My dear friend and cyber-sister, Renee, has called out to the Family of God for prayer for her little boy, Noah. Noah has been faced with many challenges in his first year of life. Tomorrow morning at 7:30 am Mountain Time, Noah is actually having two surgeries: one to correct his crossed eyes and help his poor vision, and the other is a nissen (also called a fundoplication) for his esophagus to stop his incessant vomiting so he can grow.
We believe in the power of prayer and know that we belong to a God who heals. Thanks for joining me in praying for this special family (Mark, Renee, big brother Samuel) and this awesome little boy!
Davis hit the six-month mark and I can hardly believe we ever lived without the little charmer. I could not have predicted how different the first six months with HIM would be than the first six months with Jack. I have thought about this so many times, trying to put my finger on what has made it so different. I have to say I have been able to enjoy it so much more than I did the first time around.
There's the obvious fact that this time, I already have all the "stuff," including the clothes. I have not had to make a Babies 'R Us run since Davis was born, really. With Jack, I felt like I was always discovering a new must-have product or returning a didn't-really-need-after-all product. I was running out all the time, spending money, which was very stressful. I have stayed home so much more than I did when Jack was a baby. That has made it simpler...
Then there's the schedule. Jack was on a very strict schedule. Everyone called my house "Baby Boot Camp" and for good reason. I knew when he would eat, sleep, even poop. And boy, was he happy, rested, and content. As long as the schedule was followed, everyone was. Davis... well, he sleeps some time in the morning and again some time in the afternoon. Or early evening. Or not at all and then he goes to bed early. Oh, and he eats somewhere in between there too. How many ounces? Who knows?
Of course, there's the fact that I have a little helper running around all day who loves to empty the dryer, sort the silverware, and operate the Diaper Champ. But, frankly, I don't know whether to put Big Brother in the category of "made it easier" or "made it harder." When Baby Jack slept, Momma slept. When Baby Davis sleeps, Jack says, "NOW you can finally play Go Fish with me, Momma!"
This time, I know SO much more about parenting itself. I used to spend a lot of time reading books to see what it all means. Now I know that the poop changes color and that doesn't necessarily mean anything. I know that sometimes a baby has a decreased appetite and that doesn't necessarily mean anything either. I know not to try those disgusting teething biscuits ever again. I know that no matter what the issue, it too shall pass... and will quickly be replaced by a new issue. It's always something ... teething, then tantrums, then staying in bed, then sharing, then lying, then potty-training, then... Instead of fighting it, I have embraced it. That's made it easier...
There's also the fact that I was having major work withdrawal back then. I missed it terribly. All my friends were at work and I wanted to join them. I didn't have the support system or play group in place to lean on. My dress clothes and heels were in the closet laughing at me, saying, "You don't need ME anymore... and besides, you'll never fit back into me!" Okay, maybe the clothes weren't talking to me. But something was.
I realize now that the voice I kept hearing was the devil. Satan and our society constantly tell us lies and we either revoke and replace them, or we believe them. I truly believed the lies back then - that I wasn't good enough, that I wasn't cut out to be a stay-at-home Mom, that I was too strict, that I needed to relax. I just wanted to be approved of. I fought and fought to keep the house perfect, the baby clean, dinner ready... because I wanted to make the grade. I wanted Jeff to approve of how I was parenting his son, I wanted his family to like me, and I even worried if the Baby would grow up to like me. I had this inner dialogue, wondering, "How come all these other Moms make it look so easy and I am such a mess?" Satan kept me convinced that I wasn't good enough.
Since then, I have grown so much... in my walk with the Lord, in my faith in our marriage, and in my confidence as a mother. I stand against the lies and the fear... the fear that I might mess up my kids forever, the fear that people won't agree with my parenting choices, fear that my husband won't be attracted to me, fear that my son will be disappointed in me. That fear is what Satan holds onto. He builds on it and uses it to break up families. He tried like hell to break up mine.
Christ has already freed us from all that worry and fear. He paid that price. He sees me, His daughter, parenting the children He has entrusted to me and He is proud of me. He loves and accepts me, regardless of my performance. That's a whole lot of grace to accept. But, during a recent Bible Study, something clicked inside me. That grace is the TRUTH - God's truth. Anything short of that, is a lie. Just like that, I feel like I have finally opened the gift.
I am able to parent my children differently than in the past. I see the difference on a daily basis. I used to delete pictures or videos because there was a bunch of laundry in the background or because the kids had stains on their clothes. I used to be so disappointed by imperfection... in my child, my husband, or in myself. I let the fight for perfection rob me of the joy to be found in the small things. It doesn't really matter if there are clothes on the couch. I will not let it rob me of time spent with friends at our house. I remember worrying so much about him hitting certain milestones that I did not enjoy watching him learn and develop. Satan was set on stealing my joy, and I was letting him.
This time is so much better because I can finally be honest through this journey - honest with myself, honest with Jeff, honest with God, and honest with other mothers. And guess what? The moms I talk to are struggling with self-worth too. They are all trying to perform too. The funny thing is some new mothers have said things to me like, "Wow, you seem to have it all together. You are so great at this stay-at-home Mom thing. Sometimes I wonder how you do it!" I just want to laugh. I have made it my mission this past year or so to share the power of replacing these lies with the Voice of Truth especially with new moms starting their young families.
I hope the boys learn (way earlier than their Mom did) that they don't have to perform for God, and they certainly don't have to perform for me or their Dad. I want to show them that we are good enough, just because we are His. That's it. There's nothing more to it. When we realize our true identity in Christ, we can more effectively live out His calling on our lives. We can take chances and believe in ourselves without fear of failure or disapproval.
My prayer is that Jack and Davis will accept this gift and be confident men, husbands, and Dads. I pray that they will try, try again and achieve great things - that they will not waste any time believing the lies. When they hear all the voices calling out to them, telling them they won't or that they can't... I hope that they will listen and believe the Voice of Truth.
Jack loved wrapping our Christmas gifts this year. I let him do it all... cut, tape, and decorate. The end product was pretty hilarious, and Nana had to replenish our tape supply a week before Christmas. Good thing we didn't have very many this year because he used a million of his foam stickers for every single present. Here are some of his masterpieces...
As you can see by Hope's gift bag, he decorates the bottom too. And Nana's snowmen have little Hitler moustaches.
and finally...
Davis helped Aunt Mel put away her Christmas decorations after New Year's. Here he is in his "Stud Muffin" outfit putting away the stockings.
Phew! And with that, Christmas '08 comes to an end. Now, I think I can officially move on with 2009.
I was watching a one-hour Elton John special while cleaning the house today. The music was awesome and Elton was narrating between songs, talking about his life and career. Jack was playing on the carpet singing along to all the "Lion King" songs.
At one point, Elton says, "I could tell with each interview that the writer or reporter was dying to ask me something but could not work up the nerve. I finally told the Rolling Stones writer, "I have been dancing around in purple glasses and a feather boa for years now, so ask me the stupid question already! That's when I told the world I was gay."
Jack pipes up and says, "Mommy, that man made a bad choice..."
(I cringed as I was really hoping he had not been listening and could not believe we were about to have this conversation.)
He continues, "...He should NOT say the word STUPID."
Well, Davis underwent allergy skin testing yesterday, and it brought back some memories. It felt good that we would soon have answers to why he had reacted to the apples, pears, and bananas the way he had. As soon as they complete the 32 "injections," the reaction begins. You start to see redness and swelling at the poke sites, and then some go away and some continue to swell over the next 15 minutes. Well, we could tell right away that his test was WAY better than his older brother's tests had been. There were two spots that were large, and the rest seemed pretty minor, so we already felt relief before the doctor came in to interpret the results.
He came in and told us that Davis is allergic to eggs and apricots. We paused... "And?..." He said, "and that's it!" At first we were excited, and then we were puzzled. So, why the red rashy face when he ate the apples, pears, and bananas? He can't say. He suggested we continue to keep a food journal and re-introduce those in about 4-6 weeks.
This allergy business (Emily, Jen, Cassie, Cara, Lisa... we can all attest to this!) is SO inexact. There is such an error rate on the tests and there are SO many false positives that you don't TRULY know whether your child will react until you expose him to the allergen. He tells us that "the testing is just a guide, really." I feel sorry for these doctors who have to sit across from parents like me and Jeff and, day after day, tell us they don't really know what's going on and that we have to rely on trial and error. That's okay, we are used to food trials. No problem.
So, the test results were awesome and what we left with was confusing but was amazingly good news. We expected to see a laundry list of foods to restrict and feared we were going down that road again... but maybe that won't be the case with our little blondie.
Last night, I got home and fed him a jar of organic sweet potatoes. He loved them. No reaction. So, we add them to the "good" list and press on.
Trey and Tiffany came into town for Christmas at Mom and Jeffry's house several days before Christmas. We had a great time playing a new board game, watching Wall*E, and Tiff and I even got away for a tiny shopping trip. I love love love having a new sister!
So, we opened gifts together on Tuesday the 23rd of December.
After reading the story of Christ's birth from Luke, Trey asked Jack, "Jack, before we open gifts, I have a question for you." Jack was all serious. Uncle Trey continued, "Is it better to GIVE or to RECEIVE?" Jack quickly replied, "GIVE!!!!" Trey gave him a high five, "That's right, buddy!" Jeff and I beamed with pride in our boy until he immediately calls out, "So, who wants to GIVE one to Jack!??"
Seeing Jack's excitement when people open his hand-made Christmas ornaments makes the time, trouble and royal mess SO worth it. It's one of my favorite things about the holidays - seeing him enjoy GIVING.
Davis enjoyed opening a few tasty new toys of his own. Big brother shows him how to work his Glow Seahorse.
Aunt Tiffany and Uncle Trey gave us the "Dangerous Book for Boys" which is sure to be a favorite. It's loaded with "BOY" things to do like tying knots, making match cars, and building things. What a great gift!
They also gave Jack his first REAL baseball bat - Houston Astros, of course! I panicked when he tried a pretend swing right over Mom's porcelain Christmas Caroler set on the coffee table. I could just imagine him sweeping the whole collection off the table with one good swing.
Jack proved once again that a boy can NEVER have too many Hot Wheels, and Davis proved that he really enjoys matching his brother. After all, it was a super special occasion.
Well, it appears my little blog has officially hit the big time. No, I have not been nominated for Blog of the Year. I have been served a courteous but firm e-mail cease and desist by the owner of the federal trademark of the term "mamalogues." Yep. My initial reaction was, "What?! It's not even spelled the same! I am not even using my blog for profit! My blog is private - not even searchable! My seven measly followers are not infringing on anyone's intellectual property! I was here first and I am ready to fight to keep my name!"
Then I lurked around her blog, googled her, and read about some cases of other momologgers whom she has successfully e-victed from their sites. Okay, she is for real. Like with most things, I talk a big game, but usually take the path of least resistance. So, I will be re-naming the Momologue. ASAP.
It's only right. After all, she has gone out and done what I have dreamed of doing since I became a Mom - she has found a way to get paid for writing about her day job. In her jammies. She is a successful columnist and writer and even has a radio show - mostly about Motherhood. So, good for her. I would not want to step in the way of a successful Momtrepreneur. Ooh, I should trademark that word.
Anyway, I digress. The name change could be quite sudden, as I have not exactly figured out how I will move my entire blog to the new URL while maintaining the old site for a period of transition.
So, the new name will be... after much deliberation and debate... drumroll please...
So, right now, before you forget: Add this new URL to your favorites and update your blogrolls. One day very soon "themomologue" URL will no longer exist.
I am looking forward to the new name and am working on a new look. I keep hearing that it's a New Day. Apparently it's time for change.
Well, Jack Everett has been asked to be the ring bearer in his cousin Kyle's wedding. What an honor! We are so excited. Darlene, Davis, and I went on a scavenger hunt looking for a size 4 black suit and trekked all the way out to Lookout Road to Burlington Coat Factory where we found the most adorable black double-breasted suit and an off-white shirt. We even found the shoes there. When we got home, Jack tried it all on and the jacket was too short, shoes too tight, and shirt, well, too too too "too itchy!" Naturally. So, I went back the next day and we now have the perfect suit. The shirt and shoes are still in the works...
We have tried not to talk too much about his role in the wedding for fear of working him up about it. If he gets too much attention he gets embarrassed. So, apparently we hadn't used the word "ring bearer" when I took this video the other day - in the OLD suit, obviously.
Jeff and I know he is capable of completing the task and are hoping he will perform like a champ and make us proud. However, we know he is equally capable of freaking out and saying, "Don't anybody look at me!" and running out of the chapel. It's a crap shoot, really.
We searched the Internet for some ring bearer videos and think he's getting ready. He knows that it is his "very important job" to carefully walk the ring to Kyle because he NEEDS it to marry "new cousin Tara." He even practiced it tonight for Aunt Mel and Cousin Hope wearing his suit jacket over his Spidermanjammies, carrying Mommy's wedding ring on a folded up Clifford the Big Red Dog blanket. Yes, it was just like the real thing.
No trouble with the green beans last night, and he loved them. He ate the whole little jar, split into two feedings one hour apart. No reaction at all, so we press on... a few more days of nothing but green beans, and we'll try the next one.
Random unrelated note: The next multi-millionaire will be the Mom who invents a solution that dissolves and cleans Play-doh out of the crevices of all the Play-doh toys. Does anyone already know of such a recipe? I want to pour all the Play-doh toys into a bucket of said solution and all the little pieces come out of all the holes, float to the top, and I dry off the toys for next time, all clean. Right now I let them dry up and every time we get them out, the toys are filled with crusty little dried up pieces from the last time. There I am sitting with a toothpick trying to clean them out.
They say that second-borns get to do things at a much younger age than do first-borns. This was certainly true when Davis enjoyed a trip to the San Antonio Zoo at 5 months old, when it took us four years to take Jack Everett. But, when our good friends Duane and Elisa came into town, we were thrilled to be invited. Since I have Davis in a post-RSV bubble, I kept him strapped in his carrier the entire time, mostly covered up. I should have gotten him out to see the animals, but I was so worried about germs. Eventually, my friends predict, I will lighten up about this. We shall see.
Jack C. (4), Cason (6), and Jack G. (4).
Yes, we had a pair of Jacks with us, both of whom had to answer to their middle names the entire day. I bet they thought they were in trouble most of the time. At one point Cason said, "Come on Jack Thomas and Jack Everett! Follow me!" For the most part, if they were into any mischief at all, simply saying "Jack!" would quickly correct the behavior of both.
A favorite was the Brown Bear swimming in the pond. When he got out, however, I was a little surprised to see how long his claws were. (Click on photo to see a close-up.) I felt so bad for the big guy. If he were in the wild, where he truly belongs, those nails would be naturally sharpened and filed. This is why Darin can't visit zoos, he feels bad for all the animals. I just put that thought out of my head, and we moved on.
Three of the kids' favorites... Gertrude the Rhino, the sleeping kanga, and Lucky the Elephant.
Elisa and I especially enjoyed the Butterfly Exhibit...
... and the giraffes...
And then, there are the gift shops. Jack knows: Mama does NOT buy anything at the Sea World or Zoo gift shops. Period. Nothing. Well, by the end of the day, it had gotten so sunny and hot that his face started to get sunburned. I decided to buy him a San Antonio Zoo sunhat for $5.95. He begged me, "Please buy me this Zoo Expedition Playset! Please, please!" I said, "NO Jack, and do not ask me again." He replied, "Can you take a picture of it and e-mail it to Pops and Mamaw so they can get it for me?" You have got to be kidding me. That is ridiculous.
Anyway... what was I saying?
All of a sudden, Jack Thomas comes around the corner with the most awesome huge leopard snake from the Gift Shop. (His good friend has the exact same big snake and Duane and Elisa had promised him that next time they came to the San Antonio Zoo, he could have one. They had already had this discussion on the way to the zoo.) Well, all of a sudden MY Jack says, "I didn't even want this hat. I wanted a leopard snake." Great. His bottom lip starts to quiver and he does his best not to cry. He puts the hat into the stroller, crosses his arms, and says, "Let's just go home." Oh, here we go.
We were all on our way back to the house to play for a few hours and I could just picture MY Jack watching HER Jack play with his awesome new snake. It was not a pretty picture. On the other hand, I was adamant that we do NOT buy toys at theme parks and I had already said NO. I am committed to being consistent. Jack is going to have to learn that he can't always have what his friends have. Life is not fair.
Okay, so I am not proud. It just broke my heart that he was so disappointed and I didn't want to ruin this rare visit from our friends over a $9.95 (I know, ridiculous) snake. When I gave it to him, his frown instantly turned upside down, he put his sunhat back on, and got all excited. His instant transformation irritated me. I had been played. So, I told him... "Mommy did not buy this for you. Mommy does NOT buy toys at Gift Shops. Mamaw gave Mommy some money for something special for Jack. She told me to pick something you would really like, so I picked the snake." He smiled, "We will have to call Mamaw and tell her thank you." Yeah, we'll have to call her alright.
So the kids left happy and the Mommies left happy that the kids were happy. When he took his snake to show Aunt Mel that night she asked him incredulously, "Your Mommy bought you that snake at the zoo?? She sure must have been feeling generous!" She knows me. He replied, "She said no, but I cried and cried until she said yes!"
