Lots of Learning

This week has been a busy one for Jack! We went to the University of Maryland on Monday as Jack was scheduled to be a research participant in the department of Infant and Child Studies. His part of the study was in the linguistics department; the research attempts to determine whether children can match sounds with faces. Jack did okay, though it took four takes for us to get through the whole 10 minute video he had to watch. We stopped for a wardrobe change, a quick feed, and two positional changes (he didn't like sitting on my lap and facing the screen -- maybe because the screen just showed a woman who said "ray" over and over for 10 minutes). Jack received a gift (a Thomas the Tank lift-the-flap board book... my favorite kind!) for his participation.

On Wednesday, we went to the library for the first of a four-week "Baby Steps" program. There were about 10 other babies there and we were able to sing songs, watch puppets, and read stories. Jack was on the young end (most of the babies were sitting already) but he and I had fun nonetheless. We met another little guy there who is 1 month older than Jack but who sounds like he is Jack's twin. He, like Jack, hates his car seat and stroller and can only be carried around in a Baby Bjorn (similar to the JackPack). This other little boy also refuses to sleep before midnight and then refuses to wake up in the morning... just like Jack! His mom was very friendly and she invited me to a playgroup, which I went to today with Jack.

My cousin, Emily, gave me some great advice before Jack was born. She told me that if I decided to stay home with him and quit my job (which I have), I needed to find parents with similar-aged kids to spend time with during the week. I have sort of ignored Emily's advice these last few weeks, feeling like I really am not cut out for a "mom's group." But I can easily say that after our two outings this week I have realized why Emily told me that. These groups are great sanity savers and are also immensely helpful in normalizing Jack's behaviors. He may not go to bed as nicely as some of the other babies, but he eats well. And he may hate the stroller, but he's not colicky. My big fear is that these groups will turn into "whose husband is worse" sessions, but I will attend until that starts to happen.

Well, I hear my little guy waking up, so off I go. Stay posted for Halloween pictures & Jack's debut as a rock star...

Jack's Stats

We saw the pediatrician yesterday for Jack's 2 month appointment (though he's 10 weeks old now). He had 2 shots and was a real champ through them, possibly because we brought Daddy along to comfort Jack. He continues to grow and grow and grow. He is bigger than 50% of all four-month-old babies! His stats are:

• Weight: 14 lbs, 1.5 oz (93rd percentile)
• Height: 25 inches (97th+ percentile)
• Head: 15.25 inches (25th percentile)

This week I have been working on packing away his newborn clothing. It is a bittersweet task as I love how interactive he is now but wish that I hadn't been in such a daze during his first few weeks of life; I miss my "tiny" Jack.

Babysitter!

Last night, Mick and I had our first real outing since Jack's birth. It was Mick's birthday and I lined up a babysitter a few weeks ago (someone I know from work) so we could enjoy a meal out. We were originally going to head to a fancy restaurant for a 5-course tasting menu, but we decided against that as Jack had been a bit fussy on Monday and we didn't want to be interrupted mid-meal with a call saying we had to get home (it's hard to doggie-bag courses from a tasting menu).

So instead we headed to Bistrot Lafayette in Old Town Alexandria for a lovely French meal. We had mussels and escargot to start, along with some white wine and then we moved on to a red wine for our entrees. I had the rack of lamb with fresh thyme jus and roasted garlic mousseline and Mick had the NY strip with a cabernet sauvignon reduction. We had dessert at home -- a from-scratch cheesecake that I made during Jack's afternoon nap.

The best part of our date? Our conversation! In the 2 1/2 hours we were away, we did not talk about Jack at all. We discussed politics, religion, and travel... just like our old, pre-parent selves!

According to the babysitter's report, Jack was a good boy. He had his bottle, admired himself in the mirror for a good 25 minutes, and cuddled with her. This was fantastic to hear as I think we'll be using a babysitter again in the near future. As I mentioned to my dad last night, I think having a babysitter every once in a while is a justifiable expenditure. Going out together from time to time is certainly less expensive than marriage counseling (and more fun, too)!

City Boy Does Country

With my mom comfortably (?) settled at home, Jack and I decided to go out to the country to visit Andy, Sarah, Marcus, and Deagan. We headed to Heritage Farms where Jack had his first experience with a pumpkin patch, corn maze, and hay ride. We saw elk and buffalo and were able to enjoy the gorgeous fall colors as the trees here look to be close to their peak.

Although Jack slept for much of our visit to the farm, I think he generally enjoyed it. He was not able to share the donuts and cider with us but I think I had enough for both of us! It was a perfect day out (with temps in the mid to upper 70s, which I don't think I've ever seen in Michigan in mid-October!) though we both missed Mick. Maybe we'll do another fall outing with Daddy when we're back in Virginia next week.

Andy also took us to the Manistee National Forest to see the salmon run in the White River, but it seems we were too late this year. The salmon usually spawn from September to the end of October but maybe the warm weather has cut the run short this year.

Photos from our trip yesterday are in our photo album.

Mama - She's Coming Home!

I just received a call from my mom (who is still in the hospital) and she was thrilled to tell me that she will be released later this afternoon. She did really well with her physical therapy yesterday. Jack and I were there to watch her conquer steps, getting into and out of a vehicle, and walking (with walker) down a long hallway.

The blood clot in her leg that was found on Wednesday night via ultrasound is apparently a subcutaneous clot, meaning it's not as serious as we originally thought. If the doctors had been concerned about the clot, they never would have let her get out of bed yesterday for fear that she would risk dislodging it.

So, with any luck, we'll have her home by dinner time tonight. Thanks again for all of your support!

Mission Accompished

Just a quick post this morning to let everyone know that Jack and I successfully made it from DC to Grand Rapids on Sunday night. I was a bit nervous about flying without Mick when I had a 7-week old baby with me, but we did just fine. I did a good job of packing: just one suitcase between the two of us and one carry-on (diaper bag that served as a purse as well) so I wouldn't need to struggle with these extra items. As it was, I needed to make it through security with a car seat, stroller, and baby carrier (the Jack Pack). That's the part I was really nervous about as I didn't know how I was going to manage collapsing everything and sending it through the x-ray machine while holding Jack. But thankfully most of the airline & security people were helpful and the Jack Pack was extremely useful.

My mom's knee surgery on Monday went well. The doctor told us she was "past due" for a total knee replacement as her knee was bone-on-bone; he said the x-rays didn't tell half the story. When we left her on Mon. night she seemed okay - she was drugged up on narcotics and kind of out of it but generally she was fine. We got a scary call yesterday morning from the hospital telling us my mom was having trouble breathing, was on oxygen, and that they were worried that her lungs were collapsing. Long story short: they did a CT scan yesterday to check for any possible blood clot/embolism. The report on the scan wasn't back by the time we left around 7:30 last night, so that suggests that no clot was spotted. The nurses suspect my mom might have a touch of pneumonia but we'll know more today.

I felt good about leaving the hospital last night. My mom was sitting in bed and had had her first real food since Sunday (which made her SO happy!). Her oxygen levels were getting a bit better, partly due to a lot of encouragement from Andy that she take deep breaths. She was surrounded by her entire family (though Mick was missing, which she lamented). I truly think that having her three grandsons there was the best medicine she could have had!

OK, off to hospital again. Will keep everyone posted. Thanks for your keeping my mom in your thoughts.