A Little of This, a Little of That

I  just downloaded the pictures on my camera from the week and I have to share my favorites. 

We are learning to clap at our house :)  Most the the time Jack just uses one hand to clap the table, his leg, whatever is in in front of him, but he is finally figuring out how to use the other hand while clapping and he gets a KICK out of it!

We SO enjoyed the weather here on Saturday...almost 70 degrees and SUNNY!!!  We took the top panels off the jeep, strapped the carseat in the back and headed into town to spend the day at the park (well, 30 minutes at the park...babies don't last very long there).  Daddy had to show Jack the ropes :)

If Jack can't be outside, then his next favorite thing is to be looking outside.  This is the window in our dining room (aka playroom).  It looks out to the front yard and the street.  We had to pull the chair over for Jack to stand on because his tip toes were getting tired :)

Jack loves standing at the glass doors that lead to the screened in porch.  This is where he watches the deer in the back yard...and Cuba :)

Guess who will be 10  months old tomorrow?!?!  Hopefully I'll get the 10 month post up sometime during the day :)

It's No Fun Being Sick

This little guy has not been feeling well the past 24 hours.  He woke up yesterday with a little stomach bug....NOT FUN!  This is Jack's first time to be sick, and boy did he pick a good one.  We have been through more clothes and diapers than I can count...YUCK!  He seems to be better this morning, just a little weak.   He has enjoyed the bananas, popsicles, and pedialyte though :)  He has had lots of good snuggle time with Mama and has gotten to have his paci all day long :)  Hopefully we will be back to normal by tomorrow... we have a day planned at the park now that the weather has FINALLY decided to warm up for us!

Note: I'm sure you all noticed his little bruise on his forehead...This is day #5.  It looks SO much better than it did.  The column between the den and living room just got in Jack's way :)

And Baby Makes 4!

Thank you all for you sweet words about our growing family.  We are beyond thrilled!  I have had lots of questions, so thought I would answer them all right here :)

1.  Many have asked though it is really nobody's business...Was this a surprise pregnancy? haha!  As crazy as we might be, this was planned :)  We didn't expect it to happen so soon...we were thinking of spacing Jack and a sibling 18-24 months apart, and we will almost hit that "plan" with this baby arriving right when Jack turns 17 months old.

2.  Will you be finding out the sex of the baby this time around.  The answer is NO :)  I thought I would want to, but the more we talk about it, I want this baby's birthday to be just as fun and exciting for us as Jack's was, which means we will wait 7 more months to see if Jack is getting a brother or a sister.

3.  Do you want a girl this time around?  To be COMPLETELY honest...I don't care.  I want a healthy baby :)  I would LOVE a little girl to dress up, put bows in her hair, play with dolls, BUT I would also love for Jack to have a brother since they will be so close in age.  I think there are wonderful pluses to both, so I truly don't care.

4.  How far along are you?  As of today, I am 8 weeks 4 days.  We saw the baby on ultrasound last week and heard his or her little heartbeat and we couldn't keep the news to ourselves any longer.

5.  How do you feel?  So far, I can't complain one bit!  I get a little queasy every morning and right around mealtimes and I'm having a hard time thinking of anything I want to eat, but it has been NOTHING compared to how sick I felt when I was pregnant with Jack.  PRAISE GOD!

6.  Are you nervous about having 2 under 2?  Not really...or at least not yet.  I think (and hope) I can manage a newborn and toddler, but am a little nervous about next summer when I have a 9 month old and a 2 year old...that seems a little difficult to manage :)

Again, I can't tell you how thrilled we are!  We appreciate all prayers for a healthy pregnancy :)

This cutie patootie is going to make a GREAT big brother.  Just today I saw what I thought was Jack sharing his goldfish crackers with Cuba.....then I realized he was letting Cuba lick the salt off, then Jack would eat the cracker.  Oh well, it's a start at sharing :)

An Early Valentine Surprise

A Day in Jack's Life

To remember what life what like at 9 1/2 months old, here is how Jack's typical day goes when we are at home...

6:00ish  -I  wake up and talk in the bed.  When Daddy comes in from the gym around 6:15, he gets a quick shower then comes to my rescue.   I always have a nice messy diaper for Daddy first thing in the morning, then we have a little "guy time" with my morning bottle and Daddy watching Fox and Friends.

6:45 - Daddy takes me into Mama's room to wake her up and I get in the bed with her and watch 15 minutes of Handy Manny while Daddy gets ready for work.  We then get out of bed and play in the den with Daddy.

7:30 - Daddy heads to work and I get breakfast - oatmeal and fruit.

8:00 NAPTIME!  Mama better get a shower during this hour if she wants one today!

9:00 Mama wakes me up and we play and play and play....mostly in the den with all my toys.  This is also the time when we run quick errands to the grocery store, bank, ect.  I LOVE riding in the car and going to places with lots of people.

11:30 Daddy comes home for lunch and we sit at the table together and eat.  My favorite lunch foods are oranges, apples, bananas, baked sweet potato, green beans,  peas.  After lunch, daddy plays with me for a few minutes before he heads back to work.

12:30 - 3:00ish NAP TIME!  Mama tries to be productive during this time...washing clothes, cleaning house, figuring out supper, emails, ect.

3:00 Wake up and snack... yogurt and milk

3:30 Playtime in my room.  Mama says it is the only room in the entire house that is 100% baby proof, so we can play in there without her saying "No Jack" every 5 seconds.  We read lots of book when we are in my room.  She says this is our learning time and we practice learning body parts and colors and singing songs.

4:15ish - Mama tries to take me outside for a little while everyday, but it has been either cold or rainy for the past 2 weeks.  This is when we stroll and let Cuba play in the yard.  I LOVE going outside and I squeal when Mama opens to door for us to go out!

4:45 - I get to watch my Baby Signing Time DVD or Sesame Street while Mama starts supper.

5:15 Daddy comes home and plays with me while Mama cooks.

5:45 Supper.  I usually eat whatever Mama cooked.  If she cooked something I can't have, she will make me veggie ravioli or a scrambled egg plus some veggies.

6:15 BATH TIME.. I love bath time!

6:30 Playtime in my room with Daddy and Cuba....we wrestle and play with boy toys.

6:45 Mama gives me a bottle, rocks me for a minute, then puts me in the crib.  I am normally out in 5 minutes...worn out from my long day!

The Blizzard of 2011

Yes, I called it a blizzard.  In my book, 8 inches of snow in Mississippi is considered a blizzard!  All afternoon on Sunday we sat around just waiting on the snow.  Phone calls from family in Grenada confirmed THEY were getting the snow, but it was nowhere to be seen in our neck of the woods.  It finally started sleeting late Sunday afternoon, then the snow came, but I was not impressed.  It looked more like flurries than the showers that had been forecast.  So we went to bed (early as always) and woke up to a true winter wonderland!  Allen immediately got up, dressed, and ran up to the neighbors house to sled down their hill (at 6:00 am).  Later in the morning, Jack and I bundled up to venture out.  Jack was not sure what to think about it.

Allen insisted that Jack have his first go at sledding....Jack wasn't impressed.

But you can't get much cuter than this :)

All in all, our 20 minutes out in the snow was fun.  Allen had to venture to work in the mess, but came home after lunch and headed out with all the other "neighborhood adults who think they are kids" for a couple more hours of sledding.

An Omelet and a Booty

I am trying to become a more creative mom when it comes to Jack's meals.  The boy is happy eating just about anything, but he is beginning to turn his nose up at some of his babyfood since I have introduced table foods (my mom warned me that this would happen).  Because he only has his 1 little tooth, he isn't quite ready for most of the foods I cook for our dinner, but poor baby just looks at my plate with a sad look on his face, then gives his best Tarzan yell (meaning, please give me a bite mom).  Anyway, after spending some time on wholesomebabyfood.com yesterday, Jack had a very creative, protein and vitamin filled supper last night....A scrambled egg yolk omelet filled with peas and sweet potatoes.  It didn't look nearly as appetizing as Mom and Dad's blackened chicken pasta, but he thought it was real food and he ate it up!  I didn't take a picture of his omelet, but here is Jack at lunch yesterday eating spinach ravioli (a new favorite) and oranges!  When did my baby grow up???!!!

ALSO, Jack had his first kids meal earlier this week thanks to his CC and Big Daddy.  We meet them at Zaxby's in Batesville and Jack got his very own grilled cheese which he ate every bite of!  Now that Jack is feeding himself at least part of each meal, mealtimes are incredibly messy!  Most of the time, I strip him down to his birthday suit in the kitchen as soon as he is finished then we head to the bathtub.  Jack LOVES bathtime and is always so patient while we wait for the water to warm up and the tub to fill.

The cutest naked booty ever!  Now you see where all those calories go....straight to the legs. Ha :)

Business in the Front, Party in the Back

Jack's hair has always been comical.  Starting at 3 months, it all stuck straight up, around 6 months it began to resemble Kramer's hair with a little curl at the top, and now at 9 months we have an official mullet.

Every morning when he wakes up, it seems his hair grew longer and thicker in the back overnight, but nothing seems to be happening up top.  All I can say is, he has the cutest mullet I've ever seen :)

Jack's First Tooth!

At 9 months old, Jack finally got his first tooth!  It just broke through his gums yesterday so you have to look very closely to catch a glimpse :)

9 Months Old!!!

Hi, my name is Jack Cravens and I am 9 months old today (well, on the 31st....Mama was a little late with this post).  Here are some facts about my life right now as a busy 9 month old.

• I am a BUSY BUSY BUSY boy.  Mama tell me she can't turn her back for 2 seconds without me getting into something I shouldn't be into.
• I am also a big boy and wear size 12 month clothes and some 18 months and wear a size 3 diaper.
• Mama thinks I weigh about 21 pounds, but we will know for sure after my well baby checkup tomorrow.
• I FINALLY have a tooth!!!!  My bottom front right tooth just broke through and Mama is SO excited.  I am excited too because when she brushes my teeth (well, gums) she spends a little extra time on my new tooth and I LOVE having my tooth and gums brushed!!!
• Daddy is my best buddy.  When he comes home we play and play and play.  I still won't say his name though and he says it hurts his feelings a little.  Maybe I will work on saying "Dada" in the next few weeks.
• I am becoming quite the Mama's boy.  Most of the time I love all people and will reach for whoever wants to play with me, but when Mama walks out of the room, watch out because the water works come on!
• I love Cuba and I throw the ball to him, play tug of war with him, and pull his hair.  Mama says it is a good thing Cuba loves me so much or he would get upset with having his hair pulled all the time.  
• I am a speed crawler, a pro puller upper, and a new cruiser.  I just started walking while holding onto toys and furniture in the past 2 weeks, but I get better (and faster) at it everyday.  Just today Mama looked over and saw me standing by my toy bucket not holding onto anything...she said "You better not start walking yet Jack Cravens!"  I know she is serious when she calls me "Jack Cravens".
• I still sleep great every night going to bed between 6:30 and 7:00 and waking up around 6:30 in the morning.  Daddy always gets me out of the bed in the morning and its out special "guy time".  
• Naps aren't my favorite thing to do, but Mama tells me I have to rest 2 times a days because I'm so busy when I'm awake (and she says nap time is her break time).  I nap 8:00 -9:30 in the morning and 1:00-3:00 in the afternoon.
• I LOVE LOVE LOVE to eat real food!  Mama and Daddy have been feeding me off their plates for about a month now.  I still eat some babyfood, but always have some fingerfoods or some mashed up foods from Mama's plate during all meals.  
• I drink juice and water from a sippy cup and Mama just started putting my afternoon milk in a cup too.  I drink a bottle when I wake up, before my afternoon nap, and at bedtime.
• I have starting yelling at the top of my lungs during mealtime when Mama takes too long to give me a bite.  Mama says I have terrible table manners.  I did get lots of looks last night at Abners when she wouldn't give me a sweet potato fry fast enough so I gave my best Tarzan yell.  Mama is trying to get me to sign "more" instead of yelling, but why would I do that when I can just yell. 
• I have found my voice and LOVE to hear it.  I babble, yell, and squeal with excitement while playing.  I am saying "Mama" and also use p,b,n and w's, but no D's for Dada yet.
• Sometimes Daddy and Mama let me spend the night with Nana & Pops or CC & Big Daddy.  I love to spend the night away from home and come back the next day very spoiled :)
• Mama and Daddy tell me all the time that even though I hear the word "No" from them 842 times a day, they love me very much and they are proud of what a good boy I am!  Mama says she has loved watching me learn how to do new things this month and Daddy says the older I get, the more fun I get!
 

Jack was "dancing" to my singing during this photo shoot :)

Jack's "signature look". Biting on bottom lip, looking sweet.