It isn’t until Mommy sits down to write about Jack’s week that the ebbing and flowing, the ups and downs of life become so apparent. Recognizing this pattern of life certainly helps one to appreciate the happy moments more and have faith that the difficult ones will certainly pass. Last week we were experiencing night terrors and this week we’ve been experiencing joy and family. From spinning, dancing, jumping, and sniffing to lunches out and collecting sticks in the back yard it’s been a week full of little moments that add up to make our lives beautiful and a never ending adventure.
Backyard Bliss
Mommy and Daddy are definitely outdoor people, but only in optimal conditions. When the temperatures are soaring we prefer to enjoy activities indoors, but when the weather is mild and even if it’s a little chilly, we are happy to spend our time in the great outdoors. Due to such awesome conditions Mommy and Jack spent a fair amount of time outside this week. Jack just loves to explore the world around him. He will run around the yard and suddenly stop to pick up a blade of grass and examine it or he will run his hands across the trunk of a tree to explore the unique texture. We kicked a soccer ball around (Jack is becoming quite the little soccer player) and we collected bundles of sticks. It was so nice to just sit on the grass with Little Man as he made little piles of sticks that he had collected and scrutinized.
When Daddy was home for the long Labor Day weekend he joined Mommy and Jack out in the back yard and even in the front yard as we played some more and languished in the beautiful weather. Not only did we take advantage of the delightful weather to play, but instead of grilling just on Sunday, which is our family tradition, we grilled on Monday as well. Jack was asleep for the Sunday meal as Mommy and Daddy needed a little bit of an at home date night, but Sunday Little Man definitely enjoyed eating his dinner on the patio as the sun set.
A Toddler About Town
When the weather is nice it makes getting around town a far more enjoyable experience. Saturday afternoon, after Jack’s nap, we set out to meet Oma, Aunt Ali, Cousin Carson, Aunt Miranda, and Great Aunt Brenda for lunch. G.A. Brenda had traveled from California to meet us for the first time. It was so much fun! We all met at Goodwood which is a super yummy BBQ restaurant. Daddy had a pulled pork sandwich, Mommy had a Philly cheesesteak sandwich, and Jack had his favorite, mac ‘n cheese with a side of smashed potatoes. In addition to that we had some spinach and artichoke dip, which Jack thought was delicious, and Jack enjoyed sipping on some chocolate milk. Throughout the entire meal Jack was a complete gentleman. He didn’t throw one piece of food, scream, cry, or revolt in any way. He was all smiles as we enjoyed a lovely afternoon.
When we were done with lunch it was time to get Little Man home for a second afternoon nap (part of our new strategy to help avoid night terrors), but after Jack’s nap we were off to Hastings for yet another Saturday outing.
Mommy and Daddy have been movie buffs for as long as we can remember and since we’ve been together the love of the cinema has manifested itself in a large collection of DVDs and Blu Rays. However, as of recently, Mommy and Daddy have adopted a new philosophy regarding movies: If we don’t love it, we shouldn’t own it. There is no need to have a huge movie collection if most of those movies are mediocre. So, we sold 118 movies to Hastings for in-store credit. While we were there, Jack, Daddy, and Mommy played in the children’s book section and helped Jack pick out a few new books.
Little Jack Quirks
Jack is an ever changing little dude. He is always evolving (and these days revolving). He is so much fun to hang out with because Mommy and Daddy can’t help, but sit back and speculate on what is going on in his little mind.
Jack loves playing with his little plastic animals. He enjoys having them hug, kiss, and talk to each other. Monday afternoon while we were all hanging out in the living room together, Daddy started to prompt Jack to “sniff” his toys. Daddy would say, “Jack smell your cow.” Or “Jack, smell your dinosaur.” Jack would laugh and promptly oblige. He shows such amazing understanding in what we say and is more than capable of following complex instructions. Mommy and Daddy are quite sure that the moment Jack decides to start talking, it will be a major onslaught of vocabulary.
Little Man also has an amazing imagination. From time to time, in his playroom, he will build a little fort. He likes to move his furniture around and create a smaller play area for himself. Unfortunately each attempt to get a picture of him using his fort is a failure.
Jack’s interest in books as well as his attention span for stories has great expanded in the past few weeks. At one point Mommy and Daddy had to gather up Jack’s books and put them to where he couldn’t reach them because he was chewing them to the point of being unsalvageable for reading. However, in recent weeks, Jack has been interested in reading books with Mommy and Daddy, pointing out objects on the pages, and just plopping down on his own to examine the pages of a book on his own. This has been so nice for all of us. Mommy especially enjoys our reading time as I love reading fun books and doing all of the voices for Jack.
On Sunday, Daddy thought it would be fun to pick up some doughnuts and smoothies for Mommy and Daddy’s breakfast. Mommy had been craving a doughnut for weeks so this was an especially awesome idea in my opinion. To make it fair, Daddy gave Jack some whole grain Fruit Loops to enjoy along with his left over chocolate milk. He was even allowed to steal a taste of a glazed doughnut. Jack was quite the happy little sugar fiend. After all, there’s nothing wrong with a little indulgence every now and again.
The Sleep Chronicles of Little Man
It’s no secret that we’ve been struggling with sleep issues. Jack seems to be an odd bird when it comes to getting his sleep schedule just right, easing into bed time, and avoiding night terrors. This past week Mommy and Daddy have done several things in an attempt to make life a little easier by helping Jack sleep a little sounder. We have . . .
- Ensured he eats a full and healthy meal before sleep time to avoid waking up hungry.
- Switched his bath time to every day before his afternoon nap.
- Ensured he gets at least 2 hours of nap time sleep whether in one nap or two.
- Put him to bed without pants on to avoid having his midsection restricted.
- Moved his bed time back to 7:30 PM.
- Allowed him to move around before bedtime in his room to work off any additional energy.
All of these steps have appeared to have worked as we have been able to avoid the dreaded night terrors. Jack has even been going down for naps and bedtime with a relative amount of ease; that is until tonight. Mommy went off to class with her boys all prepared for a fun and easy night together. As I left class and called home for a status update at 8:30, I discovered that Jack had yet to go down for bed. In fact, he had become so hysterical that Daddy had to pull him out of bed and they sat up together watching Sesame Street. When Mommy arrived home Jack seemed happy to see me and it appeared as if he might go down for bed with relative ease with a little bit of cuddling. Unfortunately, he repeated his same series of thrashes and screams following a period of jumping up and down in his bed laughing with delight. (Yet again he gave Mommy a kiss before going completely insane). This went on for about an hour before Daddy took Jack into our bedroom and cuddled with him in bed for 20 minutes while watching more PBS Kids. We took off his sleep sack, put him in a full set of pjs, and set him down for the night. Not a single peep was made. Our child is a sleeping paradox. Just when we think we have figured out all the problems he throws us a 2+ hour curve ball.
Jack, Jack, Jack. . .
Life is a series of ups and downs that reassures us that nothing, the good or the bad, is permanent. Life is constantly in motion and sometimes all you can do is hang on for the ride. We love our little sweetheart even if he is the toddler version of Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde when it comes to bedtime. This too shall pass and if not for the documentation of this time in our lives it would probably float off into the ether to be forgotten. When life is good, it’s great, and when it’s bad, well, it’s tiresome, but regardless Mommy and Daddy are just thankful for all that we’ve been blessed with. One day Jack will be old enough to appreciate what it means to sleep in on the weekend.
