Organizational Announcement

Jack,

This subject line on an email at my work is an omminous sign. Immediately when this subject line pops up in our Outlook, my coworkers and I look around and take immediate inventory. Who is missing? Who was fired?

Well, not today!!!

Jack, do you know what time it is?!?


Early Dismissal Time!


A winter warning has been put in effect due to the severe icy conditions on the roads and businesses are closing in an effort to be "family friendly" and show that they don't want their employees to die by sending everyone home early because the roads are AWFUL.


The ice on the roads is very thick. I drove on the highway at - no kidding - 10 MILES AN HOUR!

In a nutshell - this bad weather translates to.....you guessed it:

PARTY TIME!!

So - I apologize for the short entry today,

...But I just got the gift of a few extra hours and I have a little guy to play with!

I love you!

Love,

Mommy

Chatterbox

Jack,

Lately you have become an adorable little chatterbox. You are becoming more and more confident in your speech ability and will maintain a dialogue with your Daddy and myself of:“Bweeee-bweee-bweeeeeeeeee-bweee-bweeee-bweeee-bweee! Heeeeee-heeee-heee! AAAAAAA-bweee-bweee-bweee-bweeee-dada-mom-MOM-Daaaa-daaaa-baaaa-baaaaa-yaiy! YAIY! YAAAAAIIIIIYYYYY! BWEEEEE-BWEEEEE-BWEEEE!”

I’m not sure what “bweee” means yet, but it’s become the staple of your speech. You have also started to deliberate on certain words and Ba-ba sometimes comes out Bobbbeeee which is SO cool to hear. Also, you will say Baby for Cal, but it comes out Bay-bweee. Again, I-want-to-take-a-bite-out-of-you-ADORABLE!

You have also become obsessed with the cats again lately because I went and TIVO’d Garfield The Movie for you to watch. Not the best movie ever made, but it has it’s moments that redeemed it. For example: when Garfield and Odie dance together to some rap music. Cute. Especially because you watched AMAZED that cats and dogs dance together.

Funny, when Darla or Lilly venture up from the basement to see April and Hercules, they NEVER dance together, but maybe they just need some encouragement, am I right?

We have a cat, Dexter, that is orange and fat – therefore in your mind – he is Garfield. You always want to see him and now because of the movie even more so…. But unfortunately for me, he is one of the shy cats that never comes up on his own, so you stand at the basement door and scream to go and see the cats. Your face contorts in a look of such tortured panic that I’m absolutely sure you think you will DIE if you are unable to see Dexter. DIE! A horrible, slow miserable death! Don’t let that happen, Mommy! Take me to see Garfield so I don’t die!!

Okay…..

The basement is a hideous mess that I cringe to think of you moving around on, so I try to hold you, but Dexter wants to make a getaway and you wiggle to get down, so I let you down thinking I can keep up with and track of you. Yeah, right, momma. Good one.

Before I know it you have patted Dexter and proudly set to lie down on the floor right next to him.

NOOOOO! Not on THIS FLOOR!

We end up back upstairs with you hollering at the door for Dexter and Dexter shaking in a corner of the basement because he can’t figure out why he is so popular and how he can possibly change it.

Maybe I can make it up to him with a nice warm tray of lasagna….

Love,

Mommy

Postnote:

Some more art projects from daycare. Here is a Blob Painting that you did:

And this one is Pigs and their houses. (This week in daycare you are learning about animals and their homes, sooooo…. Pigs and houses. Didn’t you know that pigs live in houses? Barns? NOOOOOOOO!! Where did you get THAT from?!?)

Baby Go - "Bye-Bye"

Jack,

One of the signs that you have been exhibiting that shows your fast and steady climb out of babyhood is the most recent way you have begun to address me. I became “mom” informally and practically overnight. It would almost have been funny if it …. Oh, it’s not funny … not funny at all. You are becoming such a little boy. While I love that and the boy you are becoming, sometimes – for just a little tiny second - I want my baby back for just a second. The one that tripped over the word “mama” and reached out fat little hands to plant a very wet open mouthed kiss all over my cheek as drool ran down my neck and wet my shirt collar. The one that would let me cling onto him and snuggle for long periods of time with no signs of becoming bored with me and wanting to pull away.

I don’t know how it started but I think it coincided with daycare. The only times that you cling to me for long hugs now is when I need to drop you off in the morning. This is always such a painful moment for me because I have been so hungry for those cuddles that – it’s almost impossible for me to leave in the mornings when you want to be in my arms more than anything. And yet, I know this isn’t what is best for you. You need to play and know that you can rely on yourself more and more, too.

Now when I pick you up from daycare, you lift your face from the snack, toy or playground equipment long enough to acknowledge that I am there and exist and you will announce my presence with a simple “mom” and then go back to what you were doing with much aplomb, having proven to yourself over the course of the day that you can do it on your own.

Once we are home, you will say “mom” when playing with something to show it to me, sometimes holding it up in case my eyes had gotten so bad that I couldn’t see it on the floor there.

With this new title, I expect to look in the mirror and see a much older version of myself looking back at me. Oh, who am I kidding. I already do. I see so many more wrinkles and grey hairs than I used to… Am I really “mom” now and all that implies? I have a little person that loves me, but is his own person and needs love and attention AND a little space…. Praise and guidance AND the ability to figure it out “HIMSELF”….

Even now when you fall, you cry and want comfort but the moment I wrap my arms around you, you are pushing me away. It’s like you want to know that I’ll be there for you, but when I’m there, you want me to know you don’t NEED me. That’s okay, honey. I understand – growing up is tough and becoming independent is a long process. I hope you understand, though, why in the evening when you are super tired or even asleep that I have to wrap my arms around you. I need that closeness with you – to be Momma and know that you DO need me still. Thanks for indulging my insecurities and I promise to try to keep them in check.

I love you, honey!

Love,

Mommy

Postnote:

Here is your most recent "Rooms of A House" Collage from daycare that you did:

EXCELLENT Weekend!

Jack,

Let me first say that this past extended weekend was one of the greatest weekends EVER!

All that fun playtime with you was fantastic. Thanksgiving alone was a blast as you can see, but the following day was wonderful, too, because it was time to break out the Christmas decorations! We also celebrated Grandma and Aunt Kelly's Birthday!



You were just excited to see all the boxes stacked up because it meant a new item that you could climb on. Your curiosity was piqued when you saw me open the boxes and start pulling things out of them. Wreaths, stuffed animals, Christmas-themed books and toys, ornaments - which you immediately identified saying "BALL!" and grabbed one of the decorative ornaments and threw it on the floor. Lucky for me, you picked one that was a plastic hybrid bulb so it didn't shatter, but it didn't bounce very well either. I tried to explain to you that this wasn't a ball as I put it back on the tree, but you couldn't believe how dense I was being.

Look at it, Mommy. It couldn't be MORE of a ball if it wanted to be!

Anyway, we gradually turned back to our toys and lost interest in the shiny balls hanging from the tree (for now....).

It's cracking me up that you have been using your cars and people to jam into the ball toys that we have for you to play with. You'll leave the balls in there, but you are fascinated with holes and if you find one, you are compelled to shove everything you can find into it that will fit through the hole. I turned around yesterday after emptying the vaccuum cleaner container to see you trying to jam a medal (for what - I don't remember...) into the open hole that the bag attaches to. I was able to catch it before it disappeared down there and became a costly disaster.

The other day, I was dumping cars and action figures out of your ball toys when I encountered a Simpson's figure - Mr. Burns - jammed into the ball toy in such a way that it made me laugh out loud.

I had to take a picture.

It looks like Mr. Burns has been put into deep freeze in a time capsule waiting to be saved.

Lucky for him, I rescued him.

Excellent....

Love,

Mommy

Postnote:

Here are your latest art projects from daycare. A cookie cutter painting:

and a sticker collage:

Oh - and did I mention? WE OWN A LAKEHOUSE!!

Your Second Thanksgiving

Jack,

Yesterday was your second Thanksgiving holiday and you LOVED it. We started out after our nap heading to Uncle Steve and Aunt Terri's house to celebrate. There were bowls of pretzels you could eat from,

baby pictures to kiss, decorations outside AND inside to check out and lots of cousins to enjoy! You had a blast!

All by yourself, you discovered that Aunt Terri and Uncle Steve's coffee table had the perfect storage area for a child.

Just arrange yourself like so and.....

VOILA!!

Hey, Mom and Dada! Check this out!

This is the BEST!

Here you are kissing Aunt Terri's baby picture:

Aunt Terri had some VERY COOL and (for a todder) - pretty convincing decorations. Check out this tree face decoration that she had on her front tree.

This very well may have screwed you up pretty good because you walked around the other trees in the yard looking for their faces, too. I told Aunt Terri that in order to set it right, we'd have to put faces on every tree in existence now. That's not too much to ask, is it?

Pretzel break!

You watched Justin and Brent play video games.

You were much more interested in watching their faces and interactions than anything else.

Funny cousins!

And you LOVED Amber's bed. She may find it missing one of these days and I think you'd be the cuprit to investigate.

You made the round and visited with all your cousins and Aunt's and Uncle's

and enjoyed yourself immensely!

but the highlight of your day were the moments that we spent with Hannah.

We followed her around playing outside, downstairs, in the garage, in Jamie's car and in the front yard for the rest of the day until it was time to leave.

While on the flipside....

Things were a little more subdued

but NOT in the living room!

One guess as to who you enjoyed playing with for the rest of the night! :)

All in all - it was a fantastic Thanksgiving which reminded me what I'm most grateful for and that is family!

On the car ride home, you put your little hands out and shrugged your shoulders like you do when you are asking an important question and said "Ba-Ba?"

It touched my heart that you noticed that Uncle Bobby wasn't there. He had traveled to visit his family for Thanksgiving because Aunt Kelly had to work the night shift Thanksgiving night. It turns out that was for the best because he was able to be there with family to lend love and support to his Grandfather, so - although we all missed him - he was where he needed to be this year.

We are SO lucky, little man! I couldn't be more thankful for my life!

Love,

Mommy