No motorcycle rides :)

No motorcycle rides allowed!

Happy Jack!

Here is a quick video of Jack from last weekend. He runs over to tickle me and Grammy... and then starts to spin!

A Big Day Tomorrow

It's a big day tomorrow for Jack. Tomorrow is his first day at the new day care. Yikes! It was so sad saying goodbye to his teachers and friends today at the Y. He's been there since he was just 10 weeks old... they taught him so much and helped us become better parents along the way. Sure he bit a few kids along the way and the parking lot was totally insane... but all in all it was great place for Jack for almost two years.
So tomorrow we are going to take Jack in for a half day. We're going to stay for about 30 minutes and then we can observe through the closed circuit tv's in the director's office. I just hope he stops crying (or actually, never starts crying) after we leave the room.
Do you think he'll make friends? Do you think the teachers will like him? Do you think he'll be okay? We're nervous... but hopeful.
After his half day at school we're going to head to NY - my big running race is Saturday morning. Okay, it's not a "big" race - only a 5k... but that's big to me! I'm hoping to finish in less than 40 minutes. Keep in mind the winners will cross the finish line in about 15 minutes. How embarrassing! Glad I'm bringing my own cheering section...

3 hours of Jack

5:20 - Mom picks me up at school
5:30 - Arrive home to Lauren standing in our driveway
5:31 - Ryan runs over to play - yeah!
5:35 - Popsicles on the front porch
5:43 - Baseball on the lawn
5:52 - Look at huge bumble bee on flowers
5:50 - Run over to Howie's and squirt the hose
6:00 - Time to go in for dinner
6:01 - Sit and table and wonder where my Mac & Cheese is
6:02 - Mom starts cooking my dinner finally
6:03 - Decide to eat some raisins
6:10 - Mac & Cheese for dinner
6:11 - Decide mac & cheese is not what I want
6:12 - Well, maybe I'll eat some mac & cheese
6:13 - Nope
6:14 - Well, maybe I'll eat some mac & cheese
6:30 - Color with crayons
6:45 - Walk around family room with blanket over my head
7:00 - Upstairs for a bath
7:01 - Decide to harass cat
7:05 - Get in bath
7:06 - Grab you know what
7:08 - Wash with Aveeno
7:15 - Out, out, out!
7:16 - Pee on Mom's carpet
7:17 - Refuse to put on diaper
7:18 - Lounge on pillows and demand bottle
7:20 - Dance to the Jumparounds
7:30 - Watch Go Diego Go - while lying on Mom's bed in just my diaper
7:31 - Let Mom put my jammies on me
7:40 - Go play "boo boo" on steps in my room
7:45 - Look out window and yell at neighbors
7:52 - Get into crib to read "Moo Cow" and "Spot & Daddy"
8:00 - Roll over and say, "Night Night Mama"
8:02 - Finally, Mom leaves
8:05 - Get up and yell
8:08 - Yell some more
8:10 - Yell
8:20 - Sick of yelling, see you in the morning.

Hi Ho... Garden Statue?

Spent a little time in our neighbor Howie's backyard this afternoon. Jack decided to "ride" some of his garden statues. Jack thought it was a real dog.

In his defense...

The kid Jack bit today at school deserved it. Well, I guess technically no one deserves to be bitten. But the kid was asking for it... pushing all Jack's buttons. This according to his teacher who filled me in during my daily call today. Apparently the kid kept coming over and trying to take the toy that Jack was playing with ... Jack was going to have none of that today and resorted to chomping on the kid's arm. (Didn't break the skin) As is the case with any "incident" - they never tell you who he bit. They also don't tell the other kid who bit them... guess it cuts down on parental vigilantism. One thing they might not count on is the actual toddler telling them who did what... as is the case with today's incident. When I asked him who he bit... he told me - Sean. Figures he bites the kid with the best verbal skills in the class - I'm sure he told him parents that Jack bit him... our only saving grace is that there are 2 Jack's in the class.
Here is a video of Jack this evening - after he stole my Sprite. Listen closely to my last question.

A Busy Weekend

I like to keep our weekends jam packed - I think it makes it more fun for Jack and helps me (or Stephen) keep my sanity. This was certainly the case this weekend. From heading down to Newport to visit (Aunt) Donna, swimming lessons, playing, grocery shopping and "truck touching."

First we headed down to Newport on Saturday morning. Donna was down there with some girlfriends from NJ (celebrating a birthday) so Jack and took the drive down to basically say hi. It only takes about 50 minutes from Foxboro - I never knew it was so close. We have to go down there more often it was so beautiful. We attempted to walk around town and go into shops but Jack wanted no part of that. He's really "on the move" these days and would like to keep it that way. So if you're thinking of taking Jack to a store - you best make it snappy or you're going to have a wormy little man on your hands. I took a picture of Jack as he napped on trip down to Newport. I think forgot to take my camera out the entire time I was down there.. whoops.

After we got back Jack refused to nap so it was loooong day for me. He ended up playing next door with Lauren on the hammock and then we went to the grocery store - I almost ran out of diapers - and that would have been ugly.

This morning Jack woke up in a stellar mood... ready for bacon and milk... and some strawberries. Finally getting fruit into him on a more consistent basis.

Then we headed to swimming lessons. That pool is so chlorinated - totally dries your skin out during that 30 minute class. Today we focused on getting Jack to actually move his arms and attempt to swim. He can be a bit stubborn. Imagine that.

After swimming we went to "Touch a Truck" day. There was supposed to be a school bus, firetruck and police car... but for some reason they weren't there. But there were some bulldozers, dump trucks and a little race car. Here is Jack sizing up a tree removal truck:

Ohh... bet this can move a lot of dirt.
Jack thought he could just run up to the truck and get on ... never mind the 10 kids in line ahead of him. He learned a good lesson in patience today.
Beep! Beep!

After touching some trucks I took Jack to McDonalds... he enjoyed the french fries on the way home. He agrees that they are best hot and you really can't wait to eat them :)

Then when we got home he ate one of his chicken nuggets and then took off with my hamburger. I guess you can call him the "Hamburglar?"

Not sure why he got mad at me... but this is the face he gives you when you try to get him to do something he's not interested in doing. Scary.

After Jack's epic 3 and half hour nap... we woke up and went outside to play. Ran over to Ryan's to say hi... and then went around back to use his slide. He can finally climb up the ladder and swing his legs around to go down feet first.


After sliding... Sarah and I took the boys in their strollers for a walk around the neighborhood. When we got back Jack thought it was a good idea to have a "freeze pop." Nothing better than sharing a popsicle with a friend :)

"Doing? Doing? Doing?"

"Doing? Doing Mama?" That's the basic line that Jack has been using on me consistently for the past week. Even if I've just answered "what I'm doing" he will ask it again - he is the king of repetition. When does this stage end?

When we got to school today there was a firetruck! They were called because there was a slight medical emergency (no big deal) - but as you know the entire fire world has to respond when the Y calls for help. Anyway - it made Jack's day to see the firetruck up close and to have a real fireman say hi to him. Wait 'til he finds out Grandpa Tractor is a fireman too... he might burst with excitement.

After I picked Jack up from school we came home to a yard full of kids! Lauren and Caitlin - and a handful of their friends were frolicking in the front yard. Then I saw Ryan (with Sarah) coming down the road too. It was like being welcomed home by the paparazzi! Jack took it all in and then dove in for some fun. Riding bikes, running around, playing with the bubble machine, watering the plants... you get the picture. Our neighbor Lauren - who is 4 years old - told me when I was leaving to go pick up Jack at school that she'd be waiting under our front tree when I got back - she wasn't lying!

For dinner we headed next door to have pizza(!) and french fries with Ryan. Ryan of course sat in his chair and actually ate dinner... where as Jack took 4 bites and took off. Can't get the kid to sit down at the table for more than 4 minutes.

After Ryan ate his pizza, green beans, french fries, Pirates' Booty and cucumbers... Sarah took out the Playdoh and the boys squished that around for a bit.

Sarah has the kids do Playdoh on waxed paper. Seems to keep the majority of it from getting ground into the rug.

Now Jack is safely tucked away in the crib after I read "Peek A Moo" to him about a dozen times. Yes... repetition... we like that.

Freeze Pop

After a nice dinner (cold pizza) and a quick trip next door to run around and scream with Ryan... we came home to get ready for bed. First Jack - who has a very good memory - remembered that I told him he could have a popsicle after dinner. He ran over to the freezer and started yelling, "freeze pop." He gives you a nice look at his teeth too :)

Early Bird Gets the... Bacon

Another wicked early morning for Jack. Today his internal clock woke him up at 5:15... oy. He's killing us. This morning Stephen tried to give me a break from the early morning routine and go get Jack out of the crib - except Jack wanted nothing to do with him. Sorry Stephen. If nothing else this kid craves routine - and the routine is that Mom gets him first thing in the morning. Aren't I lucky? He also is very particular... about my hair. He doesn't like it if I have it in a ponytail for some reason. He points at my head and says "hair" and I dutifully take my hair out of the ponytail - and he's instantly happy.

Here's a picture from this morning of the 2 boys enjoying a nice bowl of bacon on the couch. Jack actually shares his bacon with Stephen - won't even give me a tiny piece.

The French Judge Gives Jack a 6.0

Jack's First Field Trip

It's a big day in Jack's school years - today he went on his first field trip! And yes - I was terribly nervous that they were going to lose him. It's my job to worry excessively - I do that part pretty well.

So the boys from the Toddler room were invited to go to CBS Scene at Patriot Place - the outdoor complex on the grounds of Gillette Stadium here in Foxboro. An author was going to read a book - Jay Jay the Jet Plane - to a group of kids and then they would watch a short video.

To get all the kids there they loaded into a Y van (with all of our car seats installed) - 5 kids - 5 teachers.

They were first in line for the reading... no wristbands necessary.

They got some free sunglasses - I don't really see the correlation... but okay. This is a picture of Jack with his teacher Miss Lauren. She was buddied up with him for the day.

Before the big reading the boys passed the time by coloring... intently.

Apparently the reading went well... and before the boys headed back to school they took a little break outside the Patriots Hall of Fame (these pictures will make Grandma Rose proud and Stephen mad).


They hung out for a while on the Patriots logo - Jack was just doing some snooping for the Giants.

Bubble 'Fro

King Jack - with the bubble afro. Check him out in the tub. Bubbles make bath time more fun.


"Cheese!"

Swimming!

I signed myself up for another torture session - also known as swim lessons at the Y. At least this time I signed us up for a class on Sunday mornings at 9:45 - last time I was totally insane and we took at 8:45 on Saturday morning class. Basically the idea behind the class is to get Jack used to the water (and embarrass the mother forced to wear a bathing suit in early Spring). He's great at jumping in and going under water. He's not all that interested in kicking and scooping (moving his arms like he's swimming). We use a "lure" - not like a rubber worm - but a rubber duck which Jack is supposed to want to swim toward. No. He doesn't. He wants me to bring him right to it - full service.

Anyway, Stephen came with us on Sunday - despite our illnesses (determined to be the 24 hour stomach bug!) and took pictures. Check them out:

Here is Jack on the floating duck that we use as a platform for jumping off of...


This is Jack's teacher Madi...

A time to reflect on the basics of swimming...



Here we are in the circle. We do songs and play games. This is us doing the hokey pokey...






Regardless of my complaining, I do enjoy taking Jack to swimming lessons. I just hope some day he appreciates it :)

One Hell of a Mother's Day

We're all sick. Great day ;) Details and photos to come. Ugh.

The process has begun...

...to turn the blog into a book. I've always said that this blog is really my electronic baby book. I never did the one that I planned on - you know, the one with the wrist band from the hospital to the clipping of Jack's hair from his first haircut. For Mother's Day last year Stephen offered to get the blog book done - I tried to do it myself but it was just too confusing and too much work to get it to look right. With so many entries it was just a daunting task. Now we've found a guy in the next town over who will actually take each entry and lay it out so it looks great and insert the pictures where appropriate. Yeah - I'm excited!

Check out a picture of Jack from Saturday - we were on our way to our neighbor Caitlin's 1st Communion party at the clubhouse. Jack is Mr. Cool...

Jack likes to step on things. After grocery shopping one day he was "helping" me unpack the food. The next thing I know he's stomping on the hamburger rolls. Why, why, why? No clue. But the other day I found him standing (or crouching) on his toy garage.

As you know, Jack is a decent lounger... in the next two pictures he shows you his ability in this area.

What a po po! I swear he has the best butt ever. It's just perfect! Love it... want to bite it!

Almost Like Christmas Morning

For Christmas, Grandma Sheep gave Jack a Black & Decker tool bench. Until now we hadn't put it together. Well, last night Stephen came to bed really late - I just thought he was up watching golf or something. Turns out - he was playing Santa Claus. When Jack and I came downstairs this morning - he was so excited!

Jack's favorite part is the drill. He will just sit there and continually hold the lever down. The hammer is another favorite - I'm just hoping he only uses it on the tool bench - and not me.