Jack's feet and the possible end of the blog

Hi Everybody

So this blogger website has started requiring that I have a Google account to maintain this blog. I found a way around it tonight, but I might find a new venue in the future. I'll try my best to let you know, might have to use smoke signals or something.

Anyway-on to Jack.

Jack discovered his feet two days ago. He just kept leaning farther and farther forward until he spotted them and now he looks for them every chance he gets. He mostly just touches them and stares at them, but it's pretty funny to watch. 

I can't find the camera today to upload the pictures, and I apologize. Jack is getting really big, at least by the standards of a newborn. He's getting closer to sitting up on his own all the time. You can feel the strength in his back when you hold onto him, even though his neck still wobbles around.

He likes to stare at lights when they're sharply contrasted with darkness, or anything that glows. I had him at an art show a couple weeks ago and he couldn't take his eyes off a particular gilded piece. We try to let him fully digest what he's looking at before we take him away from it. This is supposed to help his development and self-confidence. We also try to give him as much "free form" time as we can during the day, where he's on a blanket and can just his arms and legs around freely without being moved by anyone else. This helps him to discover his body and understand his own movements and his own will.

After much deliberation, we discontinued the cloth diapers. While we felt they were more comfortable for him than the disposable when you first put them on, but they were really bulky and constricted Jack's movement. Also, once they got wet, the entire diaper got soaked instead of staying contained in one area of the diaper. 

all for now, time for bed...

12 weeks, one day

Jack celebrated his 12 week birthday on Sunday, without much fanfare. Mostly chewed on his fist and kicked his legs. His lower eyelashes are about double the length that they were a couple days ago. Jack has recently taken a fancy to his knees. When he sits in his stroller or his chair, he kicks off any blankets and yanks up his pants to show his knees. Then he just stares at them and plays with them, I think it's dawning on him that those knees down there have something to do with him. He talks up a storm too. Usually when he's just woken up, he'll lock eyes with you and make these long, elaborate noises. Lots of ahhhhh's like a creaky barn door and what Sean calls "dolphin noises". He also makes this cooing noise that sounds just like a morning dove. 

Since the fourth trimester is over, we're beginning to think about sleeping schedules and rituals around going to bed. I'm not ready to let him cry in bed yet, which I will probably regret later, but forgive me, I'm a new mama, I just can't do it yet. So we started a standard at night of washing his face and hands, then changing into pajamas (or clean pajamas if he's been in pajamas all day), then we turn on one of his lullaby CD's and read him a story (if he's not screaming for dinner), then we feed him and try to get him to knock off.

Jack does really well going to sleep if he hasn't had too crazy of a day. I think he really gets overwhelmed when we're out all day and there's too much stimuli. I think it takes him a while to process afterwards, and I notice it's harder to get him to bed when there's been lots of riding on the bus or new faces or somesuch.

He's watching our every move

Just in case you ever think that your kids aren't learning from you, mimicking and learning how to behave: this morning Sean was eating a banana and as he took a bite, Jack would intently watch his face. Then when Sean would start chewing, Jack would start moving his mouth as if he was chewing. Sean came into the bedroom and said, "watch this". Jack mimicked the chewing motion on every bite. 

Oh yea, and yesterday in the park I noticed Jack's lower eyelashes have come in!! (whew!) They're tiny, but there is definitely a full row. 

Not April Fooling

Today Jack out and out laughed for the first time. 

Later he screamed his head off for two hours.

from newborn to baby

here's a couple more pictures to give you an idea of Jack in action.

DOH!

Okay, so I'm sorry it's been a while. A couple weeks ago the family went to Mendocino with our friends Jen, Matt and Henry. Jack was an absolute champ during the long car ride. However, the huge DELICIOUS cup of coffee I decided to get in Healdsburg had Jack doing backflips all night long. I won't be making that mistake again. After we got home there was all the usual catching up to do and I had to keep my nose down getting some last minute paperwork in for my thesis.

Then I accidentally deleted this post THREE TIMES on different occasions! ARGH!

Anyway, enough of all that-on to Jack!

Jack is clearly turning from a newborn into a baby. He really likes to engage with us when he's well-fed and well-rested. I don't know how to describe the way he talks exactly---lots of "goo's" and "ah's". According to the books, he's learning that in conversation one person talks, then they stop and a different person talks. Hence, he blurts out his "words" as a way to participate in the conversation. It is nothing short of delightful.

Watching Jack's hands is still fascinating. He's discovered that if he waves them around long enough, eventually he'll catch something. He loves getting ahold of my hair, and since it doesn't really hurt yet, I let him. Sometimes he'll manage to land his fist in his mouth and he keeps himself entertained chewing on his fingers, hands or fist. Even when he's falling asleep, he's usually stroking his blanket, or fluttering his fingers slowly in the air. 

The other day I spent about 20 minutes watching him wake up in the morning. First his eyes crack open, he looks one way, then the other, then closes them again. Then he stretches his arms above his head and arches his back and sighs and yawns and then usually bonks himself in the head as his hands come back down. Then his eyes open a little again and he tries to focus...

and on and on it goes, probably only something a mother could be so riveted by?

Jack has some pretty rough problems with gas, but we're figuring it out and otherwise, he remains a mellow, serious little guy. He hollars when something's not right, and he bobs his head like a chicken or tries to position himself to nurse if he's hungry. But in between the feeding and rocking to sleep and burping and diaper changes we find a lot of time to read stories and practice lifting his head (tummy time), and talking and taking walks in the park.

Jack's neck is pretty strong, but he can't really lift his head if he's lying flat on his belly. He gets pretty upset trying, so we do it in little spurts and sometimes cheat by letting him lay on a rolled up towel or his boppy.

I was thinking the other day that maybe when he stares at the ceiling, it might not be ghosts he's looking at. It might be just a way of resting his eyes after a lot of stimulation. Jack is very vigilant and loves to look around wherever we go.

On Sunday Jack turned 10 weeks. I remain the super-protective mama bear.

7 weeks

A few days ago I watched a National Geographic video my mom recommended called "In the Womb". It was amazing to think about how much Jack has changed since he was a newborn, things I had completely forgotten---like how he used to move in slow motion and just what a tiny, unfinished thing he used to look like. Jack's definitely looking less like an unfinished product every day, and he's starting to discover his voice. He makes all kind of funny noises, it's a hoot (I pretend I can understand him and we have conversations), and he smiles pretty regularly. 

We've also taken to reading stories before he goes to sleep at night, and even though I don't understand how, he seems to tell the difference between reading and random talk. He settles down and listens while you read and gets antsy when you stop.

Uncle Mark was here over the weekend, and showed me how to bake bread. The loaf turned out magnificently and Jack insisted on getting his picture taken with it.