It's Too Cold!

Yesterday, Kevin and I took Jack to the Pumpkin Festival! I was so excited because it was not only free (oh how I love that word!), but it was something that everyone could enjoy... that is until we got there. O... M... G... It was so dang cold! It was only like, a 20 minute drive outside of Bend, but it was at least 15 degrees colder. I had on my long johns even and I was still so cold. Jack did ok for the first few minutes, but then he got too cold and was miserable. His nose turned all pink and he cried and cried until we put him back in the car. I was so disappointed because I wanted Jack to have fun but it just wasn't in the cards. It's ok though, he had a good rest of the day playing with us and eating home made pizza.

Safety First!

Jack taking a nap today on the couch while watching Word World.

When we moved from Reno to Bend, the futon frame we had snapped in half during the move, so Kevin and I had been sleeping on a terrible futon mattress on the floor for a few months. To my delight, he surprised me with a new bed frame, mattress, and box spring! (He works for a company that not only does magazines but has a few radio stations, so he was able to do something called "trade" where he got a fantastic deal on a brand new bed by trading air time with the furniture store). Now that we are a few feet off the ground, Babycakes likes to sit on the bed, then scootch his way down. Then have us pick him back up, put him on the bed, and get back down. He exhausts me sometimes!

So, I remember when I was a kid, I used to love standing on my parent's bed. My mom and dad would tell me to sit down or I could get hurt. I remember thinking, "Pssh! I won't get hurt! They are so silly!" Well, this morning Jack was cuddling with me in our nice new bed and he decides he wants to play so he stood up and started walking around on it. I screamed, "JACK! NO! Get down before you hurt yourself!" And at that moment I realized, I am my parents. I know, I know, I'm very upset as well, folks. Who would have thought, right? Oh, and not only did I get all Ms. Safety with Jack, but I also put socks on him so his feet won't get cold. Look at me! What's happened? Socks? No jumping on the bed? I make me sick!

Sherman Tank

Jack roaring like a lion!

Last night when I picked Jack up from his cousin's house, he had gotten a second wind and wanted to play instead of go to sleep (it was around 9:30pm at this point). Kevin and I decided that since we didn't get to see much of him yesterday, we would play for a little while. Here is the results of playing with Mr. Jack. Enjoy!

My mom likes to refer to Jack as The Sherman Tank. He learned early on that the shortest distance between to points is a straight line. With that said, he doesn't believe in going around people or things when he wants to get somewhere; No, Jackaford believes he can just go right through them. He learned last night if he wants to get through Kevin, he'll have to go around.

Other fun things my tot enjoys doing is taking his toys, my shoes, my cell phone, the remote, whatever, and tossing it over the baby gate. Oh yes, how many times have I been missing something and I'm throwing couch cushions everywhere looking for it, only to find that Mr. Jack threw it down the hall? I'd say 17 times since June.

And here he is pushing his car in a circle. He could push that thing in a circle all day and not think twice about it. Round and round and round... he must get very dizzy.

But who needs fancy toys when you have pillows to throw off the couch? One of Jack's favorite games is to sit on the couch, be buried in pillows, and then throw them onto the floor! YAY!

I didn't get any pictures, but Jack spent about 7 hours at his cousin's last night. They have a cool fort in their living room that he just loves! We are going to build one here for him. His Aunt Jessica chased him there, then he'd pop his head out, laugh, go back in... it was very fun for everyone.

One Sugar

This morning Jack woke up at like, 4 or 5am, and Kevin kept nudging me to get him, and I kept nudging him. Eventually, Kevin won and I got up to get Jack. I went in to his room, put a clean diaper on him, and brought him to our bedroom. Jack did not want to fall back asleep though. In my sleepy stupor, I had this off conversation with Kevin:

Me: I will sell you Jack.
Kevin: How much?
Me: One Sugar.
Kevin: Deal. I have sugar in the kitchen.
Me: Good. What will you rename him? It's like getting a puppy at the pound.
Kevin: Cakes
Me: What's his last name?
Kevin: Barnum
Me: Cakes Barnum? No middle name?
Kevin: Nope.

And then we both fell back asleep. I guess the economy is worst then I thought. I should have gotten at least two sugars for the cost of Jack!

BOYS!

When I work weekends, it's usually the day shift. So last weekend when I was at work, Kevin took Jack to the park. They had a ton of boy fun, and as you can tell, not even the swing can stop Jack from wanting to have something in his tummy. Those two always have all the fun!

Bad Eater

Remember my baby, Jack? The guy who would eat anything? Yeah, not so much the case anymore. For the past few weeks, he has been a terrible eater! Today we made him cheese raviolis which he wouldn't touch. So I added Parmesan. Again, he wouldn't touch. I added alfrado sauce. Guess what he did? He ate the alfrado and left the raviolis!

So, I decided that I would make him something else for lunch. I sliced strawberries and salmon for him. He ate all of his strawberries and threw his very expensive salmon at the dog. I'm like, "Nooooooooooo!" but it was too late. Now all Jack wants is fruit, goldfish crackers (he's so over the graham crackers), Oreos, and peanut butter.

So, Kevin comes home for lunch just now and I tell him what is going on. You know what he says to me? He says, "Well what do you expect when his mom eats nothing but cheese pizza 90% of the time?!" Can you believe that? Just because I'm unhealthy does not mean my tot gets to be! I'm sure this is payback for all the times I wouldn't eat my dinner as a kid.

Ok, so does anyone have any idea what I should do? I don't want him to starve, but he is refusing everything. I can't give him peanut butter and strawberries every day, can I? Help!

Nasty Snails, Part Deux!

Those nasty snails are still there. And do you want to know why? Well I'm going to tell you anyway. We went to Petsmart first to get a snail eating fish. The girl working there said I needed a big orange goldfish. How much? $13.99. I don't buy any fish that costs more then $2.99. I told her there was another kind that ate snails but I couldn't remember the name. Apparently she didn't know what I was talking about. So, Kevin, Jack, and I just decided to go to Petco. When we get there, Kevin remembers the name of the fish. We tell the guy we want a Loach so it will eat our snails. Guess what! He wouldn't sell it to us! He said we should just put boiled lettuce in there for them to eat, them pull it out when the attach to it. I didn't ask for his opinion, I asked for a Loach. So now I have a bunch of nasty snails and I'm a bit irritated that no one will sell me a Loach!

In other news, Jack is doing lovely. He's doing very well with commands such as "No", "Come here" "Put it down" "don't bite the dog", ya know, the usual. I'm so excited to be coming to be visiting everyone so you all can see how much he has changed. It's like he's a brand new baby!

ROAR!

Jack's fish tank is full of nasty snails and they are driving me crazy! There are over 50 in there! Just these tiny little nasty snails all over the tank and it is so gross! So today we are going to Petsmart to buy a snail eater. Afterwards we are heading to Target and then the grocery store. Not the most eventful Sunday, but at least we are getting out of the house.

Kevin taught Jack how to roar, by the way. It is quite sweet. Ya see, what you gotta do is look at Jack and go "ROAR!" and then he looks at you and goes "ROAR!" except when he does it, it sounds like a little kitten! OH SO CUTE!!!!!! I have got to figure out how our video camera works so I can show all of you.

ROAR!

Poop Deck!

My little angel pie is so cute. Just when I think he can't get any cuter, he does something that just blows me away! Whether it's his smile, his Oreo covered face, or when he laughs at nothing, it just makes me want to *burst*. Seriously people, my child belongs on a Cheerio's box.

No real updates today. Just the usual eat, sleep, poop, pull hair, throw a spoon at the dog, eat some more, routine. I'm hoping we can take Jack to the pool tomorrow or perhaps the park. He's been pretty cooped up at the house with me this week and I would like to get him some fresh air.

One thing that is new with Jack is that he can climb on to the couch and the salad bowl (the "salad bowl" is the papasan chair we have. We pretend it is a salad bowl though.) He can get up and get off of it all on his own. He does fall once in a while, but I'm always there to pick him up and smother him with kisses and love. Everyone (Kevin, Aunt Jessica, Grandma Tutu, Amy, etc.) keeps telling me to stop babying him, but I can't help it. He's my baby and just so kissable! Every time I get into "smothering mothering" mode he pushes me away and says, "MOM! Stop embarrassing me!" Ok, he doesn't really say that, but he makes that face at me. So independent that boy is. When will he learn no matter how old he gets, he'll always be my baby and I'll always smother him with love!

Ways to Traumatize Your Child: Take Them to a Crazy Doctor

You know, it's never a good sign when the first thing your baby's new pediatrician says to you is, "Whoe... That's one big baby!" I wanted to be like, "Hey, thanks for the news flash, doc!" but I decided to behave myself. She did, however, tell me a million times how handsome he is and how she never sees children as good looking as him. What can I say? My eggs are amazing.

Ok, so Tuesday was Jack's 12 month doctor's appointment. He's 13 months old though, so we're a month late. Whatever, no big deal. Of course I forget his shot records and social security number and am just completely unprepared altogether. I thought this was going to be a 10 minute appointment where she checks him over, weighs him, and pronounces him a well baby. Wrong! I felt like I was being interigated by the FBI! She had about a million questions for me about my family history. After all of those, she gets into his biological father's family history. Here's how it played out:

Doc: "Do you know if the biological father has diabetes in his family?"

Me: "Uhhhh...."

Doc: "Cancer?"

Me: "Ummmmm....."

Doc: "Asthma?"

Me: "Uhhhhhhh.... Oh! He has acid reflux!"

Probably not the answer she was looking for as she gave me the ol' deer in the headlights look. I then quickly said with my head down low, "I'll ask Jack's grandmother." Big mistake! Because that brought on an entire new conversation:

Doc: "Oh, so you are speaking to Jack's other family?"

Me: "Oh yeah! They're great! They really love Jack a lot."

Doc: "And you are ok with them seeing Jack?"

Me: "Uhhh, yeah?"

Doc: "Most single mothers don't allow the other family to see the child."

Me: "Well, I just figure since everyone loves Jack, he should be able to see them."

Why am I justifying to her why people who love Jack should be able to spend time with him? That really irritated me. I know I can be really petty sometimes, but come on, I'm not that terrible of a person. She asked all about how they interacted with him and stuff. I don't know, it was just really weird.

Then she starts asking about Kevin. Now, if you thought I was sensitive about my feelings for the Lynch family, I'm a real softy when it comes to my sweetheart.

Doc: "How does your fiance treat Jack?"

Me: "Like his own"

Doc: "Hmmm...."

Me: "What?"

Doc: "It's rare to find a man to step in like that and be the father figure to a child."

Ok, that's true, but the way she said it is what really bothered me. It was like she thought I was making Kevin up. I may live in fantasy island most of the time, but Kevin exists!!!

So, after that whole song and dance of justifying the people that are in my son's life, we got into Jack's health. He is 32" long, and 28 pounds, 14 ounces. I think the scales I've been putting him on must have been off as I had estimated him at 32 pounds. The doctor was very impressed that he can walk, run, put objects into holes, sit up on his own, etc. She said he was doing very well socially, as well. Her only concern was he can only say one word. She said most babies can say 6 words at this age. Well, Jack is not like most babies! So, Kevin has been working very hard with Jack by reading to him more and talking more to him about the objects he's playing with. Dog... Hat... Ball... Lego... Are we sure we want to teach this boy how to talk? We'll see how it goes, but I'm in no rush for that tot to start speaking his mind.

She also told me that Jack can not be a vegetarian at this age. Tofu, dairy, and soy are no enough protein for him. She said the whole milk he drinks is why he is so chubby, and that he needs to have meat in his diet. I was not happy with that, and argued with her. However, she is the doctor so I have decided to allow fish and poultry into his diet. Since I've incorporated meat into his diet, it's all he wants (that and Oreo's). I am not a happy mommy right now.

Oh, and while we there, the doctor said that Jack's circumcision had healed a little wrong. The next thing I know, Jack was purple and not breathing. That's because he was crying. She said, "I don't tell the parents I'm about to do that because they panic and then the child panics." Do what? I didn't see her do anything! All I knew was my baby wasn't breathing because he was so pissed off. I said, "What did you do!?" and she told me she had to tear the foreskin on his penis. What the &*%$! Who the hell does that? This doctor came highly recommended to me. She is so popular that her next available appointment isn't until February. Are you kidding me? You tear my son's penis, judge Jack's family, judge my fiance, and tell me repeatedly how fat my kid is. I am finding a new doctor. On a happy note, Jack's penis has healed from the trauma and he is ok now. Nothing has fallen off, thank goodness!

Alright, I'm calm. Now, lets see, other updates... Grandma Tutu is in town! She'll be staying with us for a few weeks which I am stoked about. FREE BABYSITTING! I get to pick up a few days shifts at work, go out with my friends, and even have a date with Kevin. Sigh, the joys of grandmas!

Today Jack has a play date with Nathan and Noah. We are all going to the park and having a picnic. Our goal is to get all three boys exhausted as us moms are going out tonight and want them to behave for their babysitters. My guy is an angel pie, I need not to worry about him.

Weekend Update... With Your Host: Baby Jack!

Well, this weekend was quite eventful for Mr. Sparrow. Saturday we went over to Jon & Morgan's house. Jon is Kevin's friend from work and he and his wife just had a baby last week. Luca, their new baby, is so adorable. The moment I saw him I was like, "Hey Kevin! I have a great idea!" and before I could say my great idea Kevin glared at me and said, "NO!"

But anyway, that Luca is such a cutey. I didn't bring my camera with me so Kevin is going to ask Jon for pics from Saturday. Jack didn't really know what to make of Luca. He tried to play with him but was a little rough so we had to separate them. While we were at their house, we watched the Oregon football game while Jack played legos and entertained us. It was a lot of fun and I think they are now our couple best friends.

Sunday was a blast! Kevin, Jack, and I went to Juniper Pool and swam around for an hour and a half. I just love going there! It wiped Jack out so he took a good long nap once we got home.

My hours at work have been cut since the busy season is over. I'm only working 11 hours this week. Yikes, not good. So I'm looking for another part-time job until things pick up. Life would be a whole lot easier if I could just win a million dollars. Am I really asking for too much?

Brusha Brusha Brusha!

Now that Jack has his teeth, proper dental hygiene is very important. For a while I was brushing his teeth with this little rubber thing that fit over my finger and it had rubber bristles at the end. However, every time I put my finger in his mouth he bit me. So, I decided about two months ago I would upgrade to a baby toothbrush so he wouldn't bite me. Well, since Jack is just so grown up, he insists on bushing his own teeth now. He actually does a pretty good job at it. I only have to interfere a little which usually ends in him screaming at me because HE wants to do it. Yesterday he brushed his teeth for about 10 minutes. When I tried to take the toothbrush back he cried. Maybe he is biting it since he's teething? Well, he has a doctor's appointment on Tuesday so we'll see how well we're really doing at keeping his teeth clean.

Oh! Look at my angel! Below is from last night's dinner. Around 5pm Jack became really cranky so I put him in his highchair to eat dinner (usually we wait until Kevin gets home so we can eat together). He ate it super fast, and the next thing I know he was asleep. It was the sweetest thing I ever saw. Eating is a very exhausting activity. So, Kevin got home, ate dinner, and we were watching a little tv before I had to go to work. All of a sudden, I thought a plane hit the house! You know what it was though? Jack snoring! His snores are so sweet now, but I can tell you right now that the woman who marries him better be a deep sleeper or deaf.