Cotton Candy Sweetie Go

Let me see the Tootsie Roll!

Jack will be a Tootsie Roll for Halloween which is the costume that 10 of you picked! Hooray!

Thanks for playing everyone!

Now dip,baby, dip.
Dip, baby, dip
And slide...

Laughing Jack!

I didn't get a picture of it because I was so excited, but my Baby Jack B'Hat laughed on purpose for the first time last night!!

I say "on purpose" because there were times when he was sleeping his Moses basket by the side of our bed when in the middle of the night we would hear a slow, maniacal,"he he he," coming from the basket which would interrupt our REM cycles and scare the living bejeezus out of us to the point that we were afraid to look in on Jack, unsure of what we'd find.* So, we would respond by raising our eyebrows at one another and nervously snicker back, both of us thinking, "What the hell was that? Is that normal? Should we pray?"

Anywho.

Jack gave us several genuine laughs last night! And it was so awesome! And I immediately interrupted the football game, grabbed the game announcer's mic and shouted for all of the town to hear, "Did you hear it?! Listen! He's doing it again! My kid is laughing and he's adorable and I"M HIS MOMMA!!!" And the crowd, stunned at first, started a slow clap - when they realized the magnatude of what I had just said - that ended in wild cheers and handshakes! And there were streamers and glitter, and I was lifted on some shoulders and there was a parade!

OK, it wasn't that dramatic. I only made the declaration to Rich..

But still! It was enthusiastic.

Excuse me while I post the (real) details for posterity's sake:

Who: Momma, Daddy, and Jack

What: Jack genuinely laughs outloud for the first time

When: September 26, 2008

Where: Colt football game during the 2nd quarter, in the stands

Why: Momma was telling baby Jack about a kid who was playing in the game, but who was absent in class today and how that was a bad idea...ineligibility... missing class is bad... Beowulf assignment... book shortage...31 kids...blocked schedule..chicken minis..free antennae cow..blah blah blah..

And Jack thought it was hilarious!


*And on a side note, it isn't wise to google the words, "possessed and baby" on the same line. Seriously Mom. Don't look.

** And holy shit! (because, seriously, that's what we'll classify the article as) I do not believe one word in that crazy-ass Bible thumpin' thumb bitin' story. I linked it for humor's sake ONLY, and though I laughed, I was also horrified! But also, I now know never to travel to North Dakota. Phew. That was a close one.

Uh Oh, It's Magic!

Thank God for easy nights.

I mean it.

Our after school schedule is pretty basic. I pick up Jack from Nanny DeLaney's around 4:00. We come home and play (talk and tummy time) and he eats around 4:30 or 5:00. Sometimes Jack takes a little nap afterwards. Sometimes he doesn't. He takes a bath between 6:30 and 7:00; we "top him off" food wise between 7 and 7:30; and he is usually in bed by 8:00. Unfortunately, most afternoons are spent relishing the time between fussy moments. Jack will be playing and smiling then, all of a sudden, he's mad!! And he doesn't cry, really. He yells. Loudly. And conversation will sound something (or exactly) like this:

"Do you think he needs to burp?"

"WHAT?"

"Or maybe he's dirty?"

"WHAT?"

"Is he tired?"

"I CAN"T HEAR YOU!!! Dammit! Baby Jack, what is it? Please, for the love of all that is holy and good.. Please, please, please stop yelling. I swear I'll be a better person. Dear God, please."

"Have you checked his diaper?"

"what.."

and so on..
Sometimes it takes 30 minutes to calm him. Sometimes he isn't calm until his eyes close.

But then there are evenings like tonight when Jack is completely wonderful and happy and playful. He was happy to take a bath. He was happy to have company. He was even happy to dirty his diaper. He went to sleep with no trouble at all.

It's nights like tonight that seem almost magical, when you feel like you're doing some things right or like you can allow yourself some confidence as a parent. My baby was happy all afternoon! And that makes me so, so happy, too.

Tummy Time ! . ?

This is what tummy time looks like at our house, and this happens in the amount of time it takes to glance at each picture:

Halloween is only a month away!

I am REALLY excited about Jack's first Halloween. That said, I am aware that he will not remember it at all, but I am also aware that in the distant future when Jack is on a first date with a person who might possibly be "The One," an interesting anecdote he can share that will give his date great insight into his psychoses personality will be the story of what his mom dressed him as on his very first Halloween. It will be during that conversation when Jack's date will make a decision about whether or not she will marry into this family or whether she will run for the hills screaming and tearing at her hair. No pressure, though.

I thought I'd run some ideas by you to help me decide. You may vote (if I've set it up correctly) in the sidebar and you may vote for more than one costume. Here are the choices:

peanut

car freshener

tootsie roll

turtle

woopie cushion

Elvis

Or feel free to make a suggestion.. (that does not involve medication for me).

**Considerations: One of the costumes has no arm holes and Jack, as I've explained before, is a thumb sucker. That could be a potential problem. Also, if Jack were to get the turtle costume, he more than likely would model it better than that lazy kid in the picture. Seriously. Perk up, kid.

Also note that I am not obligated to choose any of these. By Halloween we may decide that Jack is going as a baby in a onesie, depending on our exhaustion levels. But I think Rich will still try to take him trick-or-treating. And afterwards he will do his fatherly duty and "check" all of the candy to make sure it is safe.

3 Months

Dear Jack B'Hat,

You are finally three months old! And I know. It is weird for me to say "finally" instead of "already." Somehow in my mind three months is a pretty significant milestone - as in "if we can make it to three months, everything will be OK," which was the mantra we repeated everyday. No one told me that the measure marker for "OK" would move at each milestone. But hey, we made it to three months and things are more than OK. They're good..

For example, I've gotten better at singing to you, or really my song choice is a little better. We have a silly, made-up morning song called "Good Morning Baby Jack" (clever title) that we sing when we wake-up, and it makes you smile and coo at me. And may I just say, that those smiles are maternal crack to me. I'm addicted. And when I'm away from them I get the shakes. But, I'm constantly singing, that is until you give me "the look" - the one that says, "Woman! Shut your pie hole. I'll show you singing!!" Or sometimes you give me the one that says, "Holy Mother of God! What the hell is that?!" And then I know to stop, though I have to admit I sometimes feel stung at the second look.

This morning, after a hearty rendition of "Good Morning Baby Jack", I sang "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" to you in, for lack of a better description, a drunken Elvis voice.. and you LOVED it. You even tried to sing back. Daddy was in the shower so a.) he didn't have the privilege of listening to it and b.)when the neighbors come knocking to tell us to tone it down, he won't know to be utterly horrified. So, win win win! I get to be an idiot, you get to laugh, and Daddy gets to be clueless! All of us are comfortable! Hooray!

Also, I packed up your neworn clothes today. It was a proud moment and sad at the same time. As a compromise to my spirit, I decided to keep a couple of keepsakes out: the t-shirt you got at the hospital that reads "I Got My First Hug at Arlington Memorial" and your floppy puppy onesie.

In other news, last night you scared the living daylights out of me. You did something you NEVER do. You slept through the night - for nine hours straight. And it terrified me. I was up every hour to make sure you were OK, and I even made Daddy get up and check once. But you were, of course, peaceful and adorable. This is such a change from the days when we were up with you every two hours. We used to slowly tip-toe by your door at night trying not to stir up any floating molecules for fear that the sound of those tiny collisions might wake you, and then we would be up with you for the rest of the night... year... milleneum! Maybe those nights are over (?) (knocking on wood). Whatever. I'll never be able to fully sleep again now that you are in my world. And that shows how much I love you! So, so much!

As I rocked you to sleep tonight, you looked me straight in the eyes and gave me a warm, sleepy smile. I gave one back to you, and also a silly little tear.

Happy 3rd month, Baby Bat D'Hat.
Love,
Momma

P.S. You finally noticed Casey!!! He came up to you and you clasped your hands together under your chin and with a great big grin said,"Ohhh!" Casey ran away like Scooby Doo from the Swamp Thing. But there was contact! Baby steps..

Night Out

Last night I did something incredibly brave. Well, OK, brave for me, a new momma. I made myself go to the Friday Night Salon - a night out in Dallas - which means we hired our first teen-age babysitter to watch Baby Jack. I was really nervous the entire week and almost backed out a million times. Of course, I felt uneasy about trusting a kid to watch my kid.. But mostly, I think I was sad because it feels like Jack and and I don't have a lot of time together. He is at Nanny Delaney's all day. I pick him up from her house and he eats, takes a bath, and goes to bed at ours. I hate that. But at the same time, I am trying to be OK with raising a "community baby" where people I love and trust help me take care of Jack and give him a more well-rounded life. I love that idea, but it is hard to practice.

I want Jack to love me the best.

Anyway, I did it. I went to the Salon. I only cried once and, really, I was just a little bit teary. Rebecca, the babysitter, was wonderful. When we got home Jack had been fed and was sleeping soundly in his bed. I needn't have worried. He didn't even know I was gone.

I suppose I should be grateful for these days when he doesn't miss me because I know that it won't always be this easy for us to leave for the evening. Someday he'll scream to not be left. On the one hand, this will undoubtedly break my heart. On the other hand, it breaks my heart that he doesn't.