One Year...In the Blink of An Eye

Happy Birthday to the sweetest little sparrow...you are and always will be, loved.

Sunshine and Frisbees

Portland is enjoying a few days of warmth and sunshine and as proper Portlanders, we are too. To know our dog Kya, is to know her LOVE of playing frisbee. She is mildy obsessed. To support her habit, we have a collection of about 15-20 frisbees (count has been lost, as some are held captive under the deck). I took Jack out onto the deck to soak up some rays, when I noticed a game he was playing with Kya. He picked up a frisbee from the stack and then she diligently came over and collected it to relocate to her stack (which was safely tucked on the other side of the deck). This went on for many frisbees until the final two, those were just for Jack. He caught onto her game and was not giving them up.

The Sweetest Sound

This little one, oh he makes me smile. His new favorite game when picked up (by his daddy) is to throw himself backwards in hopes (one can only hope) that Rian will tickle him with his stubble. Happiness ensues.

Fever Pitch

So...we're still sick. Well, I'm still sick, our little sparrow has stumbled upon another bout of sniffles and fever after a few days of glorious health. He's been asleep in our arms for most of the day. His rosy cheeks make my heart ache. Yesterday evening after a cooling bath, Jack found his personality again, if for a few brief moments. He escaped the clutches of his fleece pajamas and made a mad dash (peg-leg crawl) to Kya's toys. This kid is so wonderful and full of spirit, I am ready to see him healthy.

I love how Kya makes it into this video.

She doesn't look all too pleased at Jack's interest in her ball.

Oh and on a totally weird note, apparently, "Da" is the new "Malkovich".

Man, I miss 90's cinema.

Hey, we're over here!

Sorry we have been MIA. Or rather we have been to the flu, pink eye, ear infections, colds and back again. Rian calls it the baby plague. Infant daycare appears to be a breeding ground for infectious disease and we have dealt with our fair share this cold and flu season. Let me tell you, frumpy teacher khakis + pink eye + sleep deprivation = one hot mama. Oh and toss in a little I-only-wear-these-in-the-privacy-of-my-home-for-a-reason-circa-2004-glasses (thanks super contagious pink eye!) and I could give Jessica Alba a run for her money.

Sickness and exhaustion aside, these last few months have been busy. Jack is just busy. He is growing so fast and his development is on turbo speed lately. I spoke to my dad this evening. He was asking me about all of the things Jack is doing now, so much has changed since they last hung out. It made me smile (and of course tear up a bit, I'm a pro with the emotions) to hear the softness in my dad's voice as we talked about all of the little intricacies of Jack's development. From his two front teeth, which have finally broken the surface of his gums to his penchant for walking around the coffee table, it was so much fun to fill my dad in, but it also made me wish he was able to be here to see it. Distance is the reality though for many families and I forget what a great tool this blog can be for connecting my family to the amazing growth that is the first year of life.

Here are some snippets of life from the past month:

He Crawls!

Breaking news! This just in: The kid crawls.

So Many Activities

'Twas a snow day today, aaaaaaaaa, so nice! Just wanted to drop by to show off all of Jack's new special skills and interests through a few videos. I joke with visitors that baby watching is the new tv, it is. There isn't a lot going on in these videos and yet they are packed full of activity.This boy is B.U.S.Y. lately. 

One of his new favorite places in the house in under the dining room table and chairs. Today was particularly awesome because he had a envelope to rip up whilst at his favorite hangout.

Oh and did you catch what name this little sparrow dropped at the very, very beginning of the second show? Yup, that's a "Mama", not sure if it was intentional or not, but it's there and I will take it.

P.S. My goofy voice is SO loud, sorry.

P.P.S. Can you believe those chubby little baby hands? Oh.my.goodness. And the baby socks that are about to fall off? Too much!

Dear Jack, Month 8

December 27, 2011

All of my days…

Dear Jack,

Oh my big grown-up boy, you have been exploring the outside world for eight months now! Life with you just gets better and better. In the past month you have bloomed into such a little boy, babbling with intention, scooting around the floor and taking the world in with wide blue eyes. You love to be independent and yet you snuggle so sweetly. My little love bug, you are such a dear.  

For your first Thanksgiving we bravely took you on your first flight. It was a short and successful trip. On both plane rides you nursed like a champ on takeoff and then slept on Nana as we hit the ground on landings. During our visit to California you got to meet family from many generations. You enjoyed hanging out with the Halls, Harrisons, Leblows and the Baileys. You even got to meet your Great-Grandpa Al and Great-Grandma Gwen. Great-Grandpa has Alzheimer’s, so he did not understand who we were. Somehow the love for a baby is so intense and innocent, it transcends even the biggest of obstacles. It made your mama get misty-eyed to watch her grandpa singing to you.

December was a bit of a blur. We were so busy just counting down the days until we got to curl up in our old farmhouse with you and Kya. Daddy went on a big business trip to San Francisco and then Seattle. You and I held down the fort really well. We were very organized, Nana Lala helped take you to school in the morning and picked you up in the evenings. She helped your mama in the evenings and even took me food to keep me nourished, so I could nourish you. Auntie Erinn and Auntie Andi stayed with you the whole day before our big vacation and gave you lots of love. We have so many people in our lives to take care of us, family is so important!

The day Daddy returned from his trip I told him I had a yucky mama feeling in my stomach that something was wrong with you. You were tugging at your ears and seemed very unhappy to lie on your back. We took you into the doctor on a Saturday and sure enough he told us you had a double ear infection. You took antibiotics and seemed to recover well. Mama and Daddy do not like seeing you sick, but you are one tough cookie.

This month you have been exploring all sorts of foods. You love sweet potatoes, winter squash, bananas, prunes (ick), apples and pears. You do not seem to like carrots and make the funniest gagging sound when we try to feed them to you. We gave you a taste of goat cheese, not a hit and also introduced you to yogurt, definitely a winner. Your favorite food combination is pear, mango and spinach. Mama has tasted this one and I have to say, I agree. We started adding some formula to your school bottles because I just cannot keep up. It broke my heart a little to start you on a bit of formula, but you still love to nurse when we are home together and I am learning to be flexible.

Our first Christmas together was very special. Mama had plans of grandeur for the season, with two full weeks off from school for both you and I, but ear infections and a sleepy family kept us holed in at home most days. We set up camp in our living room, our adorned tree lit all day during this gray month. We read our favorite books, gave lots of hugs and played endless rounds of “peekaboo”. One day you sat on the kitchen floor playing with measuring cups and wooden spoons as Mama made cookies. Other days we took Kya for walks in the cold. On Christmas Eve Nana Lala, Grandma Maralee, Grandpa Jeff, Aunt Erinn and Uncle Matthew came over to celebrate. In the morning we found a few treats from Santa under the tree and in your stocking. You were deeply interested in the wrapping paper and the boxes. After showers we headed to Grandma Maralee and Grandpa Jeff’s for Christmas dinner. It was a very nice day.

These were some of your amazing accomplishments this past month:
*You are exploring lots of new foods!
*Though you have been scooting for some time you are learning how to really get up on all fours and pull yourself forward, so, so close to crawling.
*Jack, you can clap like there is no tomorrow.
*This month you learned how to say, “uh oh” and “boo”.
*You open and close books and have learned how to turn the pages of board books on your own.  

Some of your favorites from Month 8:

*Kid, you love to play the bongos, it is awesome!
*You like to explore anything and everything with your mouth.
*Wooden blocks are a big hit with you.
*You love all of your grandparents, aunties and uncle.
*Kya is definitely your best girl. You love to pull her tail, she doesn’t like that so much. She does love to give
you kisses when you get home from school though.
* You LOVE to read! We read together every night, while we read to you, you like to have your own book to hold/chew.

Eight months went by so quickly. It seems not so long ago I was pregnant with you and watching the movie Away We Go. The main characters were going to have a baby and go in search of the right place to raise their child, the right people to surround that child with. That movie hit me so hard (of course I was also watching with a very pregnant belly, which tended to make everything affect me in a big way). There is a beautiful song that is played in the film by Alexi Murdoch called “All of My Days”. I used to play this song in my headphones as I walked blocks and blocks trying to get you to come and join us, so anxious for your arrival. Now you and I play this song in the evenings. We rock in your room, we look at the moon, we settle for sleep. “For I look around me, and my eyes confound me, and it’s just too bright, as the days keep turning into night.” The days are moving so fast little one, but we find our peace and our present in that rocking chair. Being your mama is just so right. In this life, it is what I am most certain of.

Now I see clearly it’s you I’m looking for, all of my days,

Mama B

Glory Days

Tonight we celebrated living. We celebrated with a big fancy dance party, right here in our living room. It was a dance party for the ages. Me in my flannel jammies and Jack on bongos. Springsteen started us off. We traveled down Thunder Road, celebrated our glory days and danced in the dark, by the light of the Christmas tree. Rian and Kya joined us from upstairs, so it was onward to the Pulp Fiction soundtrack: Chuck Berry, Urge Overkill and Dusty Springfield. And for the grand finale we had to throw on a little Biggie Smalls (uh huh, yes you read correctly), Jack was the guest of honor at this dance party afterall.

Spinning, shrieks of joy, breathless laughter; note to self: THIS is what is important.

They'll pass you by....

Portraits from Our Long Weekend

What a nice weekend it 'twas...time with family, lunch at the Kennedy School, walks around Mississippi Avenue, a singular glass of wine, warm comfort food at Serratto, a blustery autumnal walk around Northwest and lots of baby watching.

Does the weekend have to end?

Jack getting ready for Grandpa Bob's visit with some pajama push-ups

Showing off with synchronized push-ups

 Chillin' with Grandpa Bob and Grandma Amy,

we pretty much watched this baby all weekend

Babies are the new TV

Clasping is the step before clapping and boy oh boy,

does this boy want to learn how to clap 

Trying Papa's guitar on for size, a natural?

Somehow this boy is all smiles after pulling ANOTHER all-nighter,

 teething is the pits, but Baby Jack is well worth the lack of sleep

Long weekends are the best.

Long Weekend!

Did anyone else notice how goregous the moon was this evening? There is nothing like working in an elementary school on a full moon. Well, perhaps working in a junior high school...Anyway, let's just say it was a bit of a wild day! I am so grateful for a long weekend, a visit from my Dad and Amy and I am grateful for this little boy. He just gets cuter by the day.

P.S. He and Kya are best friends, they go everywhere together. It is awesome.

Cool Toy Tuesday: ASL Alphabet Blocks

Organic ASL Alphabet Blocks via Little Sapling Toys

Language has always been fascinating to me. When I was a kid I used to pretend that I knew how to sign. My friend and I would be out and about signing to one another as if we knew what we were doing. We didn't. We would also pretend we spoke a multitude of foreign languages. We didn't. Embarassing, yes, but only in retrospect. At the time we were just kids playing around with language. 

At this point in my life I have acquired a few real signs through an ASL class in college and by learning from a student of mine several years ago. I use a few signs regularly in class and Rian and I have been working on using some baby signing with Jack. I see towers of words in our future with these cool ASL blocks!

Well Child Visit: 6 Months

Jack and I visited our lovely pediatrician on Friday. She always makes me feel so comfortable and answers my 5,000 nervous-first-time-mama questions with ease and a smile.

No surprise to us, Jack is doing great! He is meeting all of his developmental milestones, toughed it out through quite a few shots and did not sit still for a minute through the entire examination (we have definitely entered a new chapter in this baby's development, as evidenced by the two photos I was able to snap in between corraling Jack on the blue table). He also managed to rip apart the entire exam table's worth of paper, that crinkle sound was just too tempting!  

Despite all of the new food we have been trying, the round' the clock nursings as of late and his sweet little arm rolls, our little sparrow is finally living up to his nickname, he was a bit on the thin side, only weighing in at the 27th percentile. His height continues to be fairly consistent along the growth chart. Grow Little Sparrow, grow!

Jack Milton, 6 Months
16 pounds, 9 ounces
27 inches

Saturday Morning Checklist

Made it to Saturday morning. Thank.Goodness.For.Saturday.

Here is my checklist for a successful Saturday morning:

• A husband who took our little nocturnal 6-month-old downstairs to play at 6:30am, so this exhausted mama could have a few extra hours of sleep, CHECK
• Flannel morning attire and a warm bed to call home all morning, CHECK
• Tired baby who finds his way back into the bed via said amazing husband for a long morning nap, CHECK
• Husband who heads to the grocery store to get fixin's for brunch and dinner while said baby and mama are hunkering down in said cozy, warm bed, CHECK

Coming up some day...Jack's 6 month well child visit,  a half-year birthday letter for our little owl, er, sparrow and possibly a very honest post about being a new working mama (spoiler alert: it isn't easy)

Dear Jack: Months 4 and 5 (Belated)

Home is wherever I’m with you…

September 27, 2011

Dear Jack,

Five months!?! Where has the time gone? I had the best intention of writing you a letter for your four month birthday, but life changed significantly in August and the letter slipped out of my grasp. I went back to work and have struggled to find the time to get much done besides the necessities of our day-to-day routine. So, here we are, looking back on the last two months of your amazing life.

You got to spend most of September with Papa at home. You and your dad were the most amazing pair. You took daily walks, did the grocery shopping, cooked meals (well, Papa did and you watched), sang, danced and rolled over (well, you did, Papa watched). Your daddy really cherished that time with you. Towards the end of September he helped introduce you to your first school experience and now you are attending school (daycare) full time.

Our days fly by, yours at school with Teacher Nicole and Daddy’s and Mama’s at work. Daddy drops you off every morning and Mama rushes from work to pick you up every afternoon. We have a lovely little routine with our lovely little family every evening: playtime, feedings, bath time, chat time and bedtime stories. Time with you is so precious, we savor every moment. It is always difficult to say good night to you because I just want to hang out for a little bit longer…As I write this, you are asleep in the other room. It is taking all of my strength, not to scoop you up out of the crib and give you a big hug and kiss, but I know you need your sleep.

In August, Grandpa Bob and Grandma Amy came out to visit and they brought along a special visitor, your Great-Grandma Irma! She was so smitten with you. You two (well all four of you) had a great time playing on the floor together and smiling at one another. It was very special for me to introduce you to my grandmother.

Just a few weeks later your Great-Aunt Barbara flew out from New York to see your red head and cute smile. We met her at Great-Uncle Dick and Great-Aunt Patricia’s house, where you also got to meet your cousin Jenny. Yet again, you won hearts. 

Great-Uncle Rick and Great-Aunt Karen also came to Oregon to see you. We all went out to dinner and Great-Uncle Rick gave his take on what sports you would play after you mastered walking. We had such a nice time visiting with them!

You continue to be the baby that can go anywhere. You love to visit the store, restaurants, the library and the park. Jack, you are so interested in other people and have really started watching people and trying to mimic them. This past month we took you on your first trip to the river. You slept the whole time, but your best friend, Kya, was ecstatic that you got to join her on a trip to one of her favorite places. That same weekend you took your first swim at our local community pool. You took to the water like a little fish, kicking, splashing and smiling away. We even let you dunk under twice and though a bit startled, there were no tears. I have a feeling you will love the freedom of the water, just as your mama and papa do.  

At five months old you continually impress us with your independence and determination (man, are you determined!).

These were some of your amazing accomplishments this past month:

• You are a rolling machine! It is now hard to keep you on your back. As soon as you are placed down, you roll yourself over and push yourself up. You are working so hard to coordinate your push-up position and knee-inching. You will get there sooner than later…
• You reach for anything in your path and put it ALL into your mouth. We think you may have begun teething, but seem to have taken it all in stride.
• You started to eat rice cereal once a day around five months. It is a big hit with you. You love working with the spoon and try to spoon the cereal into your mouth independently. You continue to nurse like a champ and are very satisfied with your simple diet of breast milk and a bowl of rice cereal.
• Each night after your bath, you have SO much to share with us. You lay down on your blanket and make long drawn out noises, engaging in a conversation about your day. When Mama or Papa make a loud playful noise, you mimic it in the most amazing way.
• You are sitting up! You can sit straight up for a few seconds by yourself and are definitely working on mastering the tripod sit-up.
• You have the goofiest laugh. It doesn’t come out every day, but when it does, it continues to make your mom and dad laugh too. Your favorite thing to laugh at lately is when we make fake gagging noises. Not sure how we discovered this…but one night when your Auntie Rachel came to visit, we made fake gagging noises all the way home from McMenamins in the hope of getting you to laugh. It must have been quite the sight, two women, gagging over a moving stroller.

Some of your favorites from Month 4 and 5:

• Papa played a lot of old standards for you while you two were home together. You seemed to really enjoy Harry Belafonte. So much so, that Auntie Andi named one of your favorite toys, a stuffed elephant, Harry Elefante.
• You also seem to like to listen to your parents sing songs from our childhood, BINGO and Old MacDonald are big hits with you!
• Your favorite book this month was definitely, On the Night You Were Born. We read that every evening as you fell asleep.
• It seems you have really discovered how to interact with Kya in the last few weeks. You reach out to pet her and she loves to give you big kisses on your face. When she walks by, you start to wiggle and kick, trying to catch her attention. She is going to love following you once you find your crawling stride in the next few months!   
• You are a family guy. You really enjoy having your grandmas, grandpas, aunts and uncles close by and they seem to enjoy showering you with attention. We are truly lucky to be surrounded by such love! 

Our time together is not as it once was. Our evenings are short and treasured. I drive quickly across town each evening and find myself feeling very anxious to get to you, tapping my fingers on the steering wheel…Home, let me come home, home is wherever I’m with you. I slip through the door of your school and look for you. You always have a sweet grin for me when you realize I have come to pick you up. When I see that smile, I am home. No matter where we are, you are my home now. You, your papa and Kya, you are my home.

Home is wherever I’m with you,

Mama B

Creeping Towards Crawling

So the backwards scoot is in full effect in our household and as of this evening...Little Jack is propping himself up on all fours. Oh.my.goodness.

Jack Talking Back

Little Sparrow reached a critical stage in his language development a few evenings ago...he learned to talk, er, scream, back at us.

Them There Eyes

We rushed home and had ourselves a lovely little afternoon today, me and Mr. Blue Eyes. Blinds were opened, sunshine was revealed, khakis were traded for flannel jammies and Liz Phair was popped into the stereo. Smiles, laughter and goofy dancing ensued. It was our first afternoon dance party since I returned to work. Mr. Blue Eyes, Liz and I, we all needed it.

They sparkle, they bubble, they're gonna get you in a whole lot of trouble...

We're On the Move!

Well, really Jack is the one on the move. Can you believe it?

This little lovebug is officially mobile and we are simply in awe! It all started with learning to sit up a few days ago...

Then, we stepped out of the room for a few moments and found Jack in a new place. We thought maybe we had just forgotten where he was playing last, but alas, we saw him starting to scoot backwards across the carpet and then slipping and sliding across the wood floor. Wowee zowee!

Oh and then there's my favorite new(ish) move. I call this one, "foot in mouth". Wool socks, yum.



Well Child Visit: 4 Months

Belated well child post (only about five and a half weeks late)...

This little cutie is four months old (actually he is now 5 months and 1 week old, but feel free to play along on our trip back in time), can you believe it? He and I braved his four-month well child exam last week (ahem, just pretend this post is written by Marty McFly) and guess what? He's still perfect. Our pediatrician is wonderful, I cannot say enough nice things about her. She makes this mama feel so very proud of her mothering skills and even more proud of my giant baby. Jack is right on track with his development: rolling over, gripping, putting weight on his feet (he's a pro!), following objects/loud noises and practicing sitting up. Jack is rockin' the 93rd percentile in height and the 65th in weight. I thought those yummy baby leg rolls would put him a bit further up on the weight growth chart.

Jack Milton, 4 Months
15 pounds, 7 ounces
26.5 inches