Jack helps me to cook all the time. Here he is measuring the flour in. All of a sudden he started counting. It was too cute not to get video. :)
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
play time!
Jack and I are having a silly afternoon at home, in which we do whatever comes into our heads. Jack figured out this amazingly cute game! I can't decide which video I like better. :)
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Skype!
I just had a half-hour video conversation with my niece and nephew -- 3,000 miles away. How cool is that? :)
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Scotty's -- a very cool place
There is a really fun indoor playplace here in town where kids can come and play for free. It's run by a church and it is just GREAT for children! It has a giant structure of tubes and various rooms, with some big slides and stuff. There is also an area off to the side for smaller kids to play in little Fisher Price houses.
I thought it was worth mentioning because I have been taking Jack there off and on for a while now and he has FINALLY gotten the hang of it!
By this I mean, he is willing to leave my side and run around with the other kids. This is kind of a huge deal. I've been kept on a 5-foot leash for weeks now, so it was a huge relief to see him running around and only circling back every so often to check in with me with a HUGE grin! Maybe now I can join the other moms who get to sit at the side of the room and knit. :)
I thought it was worth mentioning because I have been taking Jack there off and on for a while now and he has FINALLY gotten the hang of it!
By this I mean, he is willing to leave my side and run around with the other kids. This is kind of a huge deal. I've been kept on a 5-foot leash for weeks now, so it was a huge relief to see him running around and only circling back every so often to check in with me with a HUGE grin! Maybe now I can join the other moms who get to sit at the side of the room and knit. :)
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
time marches on
All day there has been a thought nagging at the back of my mind: This morning was probably the last time Jack nursed.
When he was born, I never really intended a strict timetable for weaning. I knew that 6 months of nursing has many health benefits for mother and baby, so I decided we would go "at least that long." Well, 6 months came and went. The next milestone was 10 months, where both my sister's babies self-weaned. They just weren't interested any longer. I wondered whether Jack would do the same. Then 10 months drifted past, and then the big 1-year mark. Jack obviously got more and more interested in solid foods, but was still nursing steadily. In fact, he could be downright demanding!
However, the frequency was winding down, as is normal as a child grows. About a month ago, we cut out daytime nursing entirely. Jack does just fine with a snack and a snuggle instead, and it was darned inconvenient to try to keep up nursing when we were frequently out and about. (He was never good at nursing in public settings when there is so much else to do.)
Well, apparently my body took that as the cue that the nursing phase is over. My milk supply has been rapidly dwindling, and last week I found Jack waking me up every 45 minutes throughout several nights. He kept trying and trying to nurse, and just wasn't able to get a bellyfull to go to sleep properly on. We were both waking up tired and grumpy after our long nights. This wasn't working!
To make a long story short(er), we decided to work on weaning fully. He didn't much like the plan, but I didn't know what else to do. We have just been substituting milk or water, snacks, and plenty of love and cuddles. Well, last night he went to bed with a bottle of milk, and had more for a quick drink when he woke up at 3:00 a.m. He nursed just a little this morning (I was bursting at the seams) but was much more interested in eating an entire bowl of oatmeal.
All of a sudden he is totally on board with the plan!
Needless to say, it has been an uncomfortable day (and night) with an overabundant milk supply. However, I am determined that while Jack is in agreement, we really do need to get him weaned fully, or we are going to have a very upset and confused child on our hands. This is no time to be wishy-washy, especially when dwindling milk supply is already deciding the issue for us.
So I find myself finishing up this day wondering if I have said my final "goodbye" to his baby time. Oh, I know he is still in diapers, but that can last well into the toddler years. This is the last milestone of my 10-lb little baby boy, added to the growing proof of the young man he is growing up to be. I know we will have many more ways to be close with each other (right now snuggling with a constant stream of kisses all over his head is a big hit!) but I will miss the special bond that nursing brings.
When he was born, I never really intended a strict timetable for weaning. I knew that 6 months of nursing has many health benefits for mother and baby, so I decided we would go "at least that long." Well, 6 months came and went. The next milestone was 10 months, where both my sister's babies self-weaned. They just weren't interested any longer. I wondered whether Jack would do the same. Then 10 months drifted past, and then the big 1-year mark. Jack obviously got more and more interested in solid foods, but was still nursing steadily. In fact, he could be downright demanding!
However, the frequency was winding down, as is normal as a child grows. About a month ago, we cut out daytime nursing entirely. Jack does just fine with a snack and a snuggle instead, and it was darned inconvenient to try to keep up nursing when we were frequently out and about. (He was never good at nursing in public settings when there is so much else to do.)
Well, apparently my body took that as the cue that the nursing phase is over. My milk supply has been rapidly dwindling, and last week I found Jack waking me up every 45 minutes throughout several nights. He kept trying and trying to nurse, and just wasn't able to get a bellyfull to go to sleep properly on. We were both waking up tired and grumpy after our long nights. This wasn't working!
To make a long story short(er), we decided to work on weaning fully. He didn't much like the plan, but I didn't know what else to do. We have just been substituting milk or water, snacks, and plenty of love and cuddles. Well, last night he went to bed with a bottle of milk, and had more for a quick drink when he woke up at 3:00 a.m. He nursed just a little this morning (I was bursting at the seams) but was much more interested in eating an entire bowl of oatmeal.
All of a sudden he is totally on board with the plan!
Needless to say, it has been an uncomfortable day (and night) with an overabundant milk supply. However, I am determined that while Jack is in agreement, we really do need to get him weaned fully, or we are going to have a very upset and confused child on our hands. This is no time to be wishy-washy, especially when dwindling milk supply is already deciding the issue for us.
So I find myself finishing up this day wondering if I have said my final "goodbye" to his baby time. Oh, I know he is still in diapers, but that can last well into the toddler years. This is the last milestone of my 10-lb little baby boy, added to the growing proof of the young man he is growing up to be. I know we will have many more ways to be close with each other (right now snuggling with a constant stream of kisses all over his head is a big hit!) but I will miss the special bond that nursing brings.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
KitchenAid mixer
Alex has wanted to buy me a KitchenAid mixer for two years now -- but I have always been the stick in the mud protesting that I'd rather have a few smaller things for one reason or another. Well, no more! We decided this silly behavior had gone on long enough, especially with the amount of home cooking I am doing these days as a full-time mom.
When I went to order the mixer I found that they had just issued a new color, Yellow Pepper. I think it is the most gorgeous thing imaginable. How lucky that I would wait just long enough to get the perfect color! :)
I will have to post photos later. (Jack just woke up.) Rest assured it is gorgeous!
I have already made marshmallows, muffins, several batches of bread, a batch of cookies, two of bagels.... And it's only been with us for two weeks. I am in loooooooove! :)
When I went to order the mixer I found that they had just issued a new color, Yellow Pepper. I think it is the most gorgeous thing imaginable. How lucky that I would wait just long enough to get the perfect color! :)
I will have to post photos later. (Jack just woke up.) Rest assured it is gorgeous!
I have already made marshmallows, muffins, several batches of bread, a batch of cookies, two of bagels.... And it's only been with us for two weeks. I am in loooooooove! :)
"Oh Gosh"
Jack has been working hard on his vocabulary recently. He loves to point at something and have me tell him what it's called.... twenty times in a row if he needs that many to really understand!
He also likes to try copying what I say. This has led to some really cute facts coming to light, like figuring out that he can't say "l" sounds, so he absolutely refuses to try saying "please". He knows he won't get it right! However, he will say "up," "mommy," or "help," so he at least has some alternates.
Right around Christmas time we were practicing the "s" sound. He figured out how to say "shhhh" for "s". Ridiculously cute, I hardly need say. :) Well, then he got a bus in the mail from his cousin. I told him what it was, and he spent 45 minutes straight playing with it! The whole time he was saying "busssshh," "busssssssh," and I could hear the "h" slowly disappearing. By the end of the night he could say "bus" just right!
Later that week we heard "Oh, gosh!" for the first time! And the other night it was "book," with the "k" suddenly making an appearance. I feel like I want to follow him around with the camera and record everything he says, but of course the moment I take it out, he is all quiet interest and stops talking!
He also likes to try copying what I say. This has led to some really cute facts coming to light, like figuring out that he can't say "l" sounds, so he absolutely refuses to try saying "please". He knows he won't get it right! However, he will say "up," "mommy," or "help," so he at least has some alternates.
Right around Christmas time we were practicing the "s" sound. He figured out how to say "shhhh" for "s". Ridiculously cute, I hardly need say. :) Well, then he got a bus in the mail from his cousin. I told him what it was, and he spent 45 minutes straight playing with it! The whole time he was saying "busssshh," "busssssssh," and I could hear the "h" slowly disappearing. By the end of the night he could say "bus" just right!
Later that week we heard "Oh, gosh!" for the first time! And the other night it was "book," with the "k" suddenly making an appearance. I feel like I want to follow him around with the camera and record everything he says, but of course the moment I take it out, he is all quiet interest and stops talking!
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