Jack meets William Arthur for the first time...

Jack came to the hospital yesterday afternoon to meet his new brother William Arthur for the very first time. Since the little guy was up in the NICU - getting observed for some minor breathing issues - he met him up there. As you can see Jack was very excited (and proud) to meet his brother for the first time ever.

Summer is over...

Well, the summer is over - even though I am wearing white jeans today (my only excuse is that I have pretty much 5 pairs of pants that fit me right now and - white happens to be 40% of them). We had a busy summer- hot weather (ick!) - but Jack really progressed in swimming. He now jumps in and goes completely underwater without abandon and usually yells "To infinity and beyond!" It's quite funny.

He is also completely obsessed with being Superman. It's starting to become an issue. You see, a few months ago I bought him these cute Superman jammies at TJ Maxx - they came with a cape - how could I resist? He now insists on wearing them EVERY night. And when it comes to getting them off him in the morning to get dressed for school - it's a total nightmare. As a parent you feel super guilty taking his jammies off while he yells "but I want to fight the bad guys!" Oh Jack... you'll always be our little "Supterman!"

On the "Baby Cookie" front - I'm now 34.5 weeks pregnant... and routinely get comments from people that I look like I'm going to pop. Umm... thanks. That's just what every pregnant woman wants to hear. Trying to devise a plan for when I do eventually go into labor - and we have to have someone lined up to take care of Jack. We have options... we just need to lay out all the scenarios based on timing. I'm convinced this labor will go quickly (not 12 hours like the last one!) so I need to have a good plan. Shoot - that reminds me, I also have to pack the hospital bag. Stephen is wrapping up the boys' new room - it looks spectacular. I'll post pictures as soon as it's camera-ready.

First day at the pool this summer!

Went to the pool in the neighborhood today. Of course we waited until it was cloudy and sorta raining before we actually got there. The water (even in the little pool) was pretty cold. Jack clearly didn't mind. I didn't go in ... it's bad enough that I'm wearing a maternity bathing suit - I'm not going to be tortured by cold water as well. Here is a quick video Stephen took of Jack rolling around (please do not look at me).



And here he is after... shivering like a little penguin.



We're going back tomorrow - hopefully when the sun is shining. Happy Memorial Day weekend everyone!

Jack at the beach

Not the most thrilling video - but it does showcase Jack's dedication to digging in the sand :)

Touch a Truck Day

It was touch a truck day again here in Foxborough. That's where the town and local businesses bring out big trucks, buses, cranes and emergency vehicles and let the kids crawl all over them. Always a hit with the under 12 crowd. Today we went with Owen and Ethan who happen to live across the street from where the event was being held.


Oh no - here's what Jack looks like in the back of a police car!


Say cheese you crazy truck lover!


And then we got to try out a digger of some sort...

The horn blowing got to be a little much - so we took off for the playground to play with a million different kids. Of course we ended up bumping into Ryan (from next door) and Abby, Jordan and Jake from daycare... the kids were all sweating and running and having fun. Fortunately they were "fenced in" (soccer field) so we just let them loose. Fun!

Life's a Beach!

When Stephen is traveling I try to be more creative or ambitious in my weekend plans with Jack. It can just get really old being at home with him for two whole days with nothing fun to break it up. I mean going to Stop & Shop and Target is fun for me... not so much for him though.

This morning we got up bright and early and I thought it looked like a good beach day. While Jack ate his morning bacon and watched Wow Wow Wubbzy, I did some research on good beaches to take Jack to that were within an hours drive. We settled on Duxbury Beach (45 mins away) and headed out around 8:30. We got there and the parking area was closed (opens next week for Memorial Day) but we chanced it and parked on the road and hiked over the dunes to the beach. At first Jack was freaked out about sand - but I told him that if he didn't like sand it was going to make for a quick trip to the beach. I convinced him that the fun of throwing rocks and collecting shells would far outweigh the feeling of sand on his feet. And I was right. We threw rocks, collected broken shells (he held them to his ear and said he could hear the ocean), chased sea gulls, pet dogs, built a cruddy sand castle... and of course had to pee on the beach. Fortunately we were literally the only ones there so letting it all hang out right on the beach wasn't an issue!

We stayed for just over an hour and then headed home... it's now 3:45 and he still hasn't taken a nap yet (I of course am dying to take a snooze!). Hoping he goes to bed early tonight and I can catch up on my shows on the DVR!

Is this how he sees us?

This is one of Jack's art projects from school. In April they "studied" family - so clearly this is how Jack sees Stephen and myself. Fortunately my eyes are on straight - can't say that much for Stephen.

My Super Hero!

Jack has a thing for Superman - likes to pretend he is him and insisted on a Superman cake for his birthday (we saved the head). Today when I was at TJ Maxx I found these Superman jammies and couldn't pass them up (especially since they were only $10) - I mean come on - it has a cape!

We told Jack if he ate his dinner (wagon wheel pasta and won ton soup) he could get a surprise at bed time. Jack ate fairly well and earned the surprise. He was very excited when he just saw the front of the jammies - and his face positively lit up when he saw the cape. It was then time for a dance party on our bed while he checked out his cape. My little super hero :)

Awww...

Look how big Jack is getting. His belly has finally gone away and his chunky legs have turned into skinny little boy legs. His favorite thing to say to Stephen and me is, "I do it all by myself." Right now we're just a bout potty trained - working on a few poop issues - which I hear is normal. He stays dry for naps and about 90% of most nights. So it looks like we're getting a 6 month reprieve on buying diapers before #2 makes it way down the chute.

We find out on May 17th if it's a boy or a girl. Today I'm guessing it is a boy... but that changes every day. At the doctor yesterday I heard the heartbeat and it was right at 140 bpm - which is gender neutral. I guess a faster heartbeat typically means girl and a slower heartbeat means boy. I've been craving all the same foods I did when I was pregnant with Jack (fruit, bagels, etc) but I'm also much more tired and nauseated. I could blame the tiredness on the fact that this time around we have an independent 3-year old to contend with... not sure about the general malaise though.

Looks like we're going to have an awesome weekend weather-wise. Sunny and in the 80s. Hoping to get the bulk of our outdoor work accomplished - like the mulch. I get a free pass from any heavy lifting - woo hoo!

Birthday Dance Party!

Today Jack turned 3 years old! Can you believe how fast it has gone? Stephen and I certainly can't. This morning Jack was showing us some of his famous dance moves - fortunately I caught some on video. Enjoy!

Rock Stars!

Waiting for Santa...

Look at me!!!