Boo at the Zoo

On Sunday, Mick and I took Jack to the Toledo Zoo for their "Boo at the Zoo" event. Jack is really into dinosaurs, so this year he will be a dragon (the closest I could find to a dinosaur that was reasonably priced) for Halloween.

As luck would have it, the weather on Sunday was 75 degrees and sunny, meaning the long pant/long sleeve fleece costume was less than ideal. Jack obliged in wearing the top of the costume, but I didn't even try to get the bottoms on. So he was kind of a half dragon/dinosaur.

I was pretty surprised that he got as into the trick-or-treating as he did. At each treat stop, he'd climb out of the stroller and walk up to get his treats, bucket in hand. He didn't say "trick or treat" but he did say "thank you" (when prompted, and albeit quietly), but as soon as he turned around to face me & Mick, he'd break into a HUGE grin and come running back. It was pretty cute.

A lot of the animals seemed to be missing (where do they put the huge animals like the elephants and hippos?) and many of the primates were not available for viewing as apparently they get freaked out by humans in costumes. Nonetheless, it was fun for all three of us.

Leading the way to the polar bears (current favorite zoo animal)

Checking out the gorillas

Off on his own to get a treat

Ever seen a dragon riding an elephant? (this was not a staged picture - he climbed up on his own)

Music Together

Starting in September, Jack and I began our fourth session of our Music Together class. We began with Music Together in Arlington when Jack was just eight months old and then continued classes when we moved to Ann Arbor.

Music Together at Eight Months Old

I debated signing him up this fall semester because the program isn't cheap, but when I realized it would be my last opportunity to take a class JUST with Jack (before Chickpea arrives), I got a lump in my throat and took my credit card out. Every week at the end of class, we sing a lullaby. As soon as the lights are turned off (signifying "lullaby time"), Jack races to me and flings himself into my lap, with his arms curled around my neck. It's one of my favorite parts of the week and, lately at least, has made me tear up every time he does it.

Some may question paying to take such a young child to music classes (I know my mom did) but as soon as you see the classes in action, and you see how much Jack truly loves them and gets out of them, you understand. I wholeheartedly believe the research that claims that music helps in brain development and hope that arts programs continue to be supported as heavily as athletics in our public schools.

OK, off my soapbox now. This past weekend, we were able to take Mick to class with us as we were attending a make-up session. This allowed me to get some pictures of Jack in action, which I normally can't do. He's really into drumming right now (ever since we started taking him to see the Michigan Marching Band practice) and so loves the opportunity to pick the drum during the "freestyle play" part of class; we also used the rhythm sticks for the first time this semester and he was very excited to be able to show his skills:

Tapping Along with Rhythm Sticks

Impressing Daddy with Drum Skills

Lullaby Time

The Injury

Toddlers are prone to injuries. I think it's just a fact of life. At least once a day, Jack asks for me to "tiss" a boo boo. I was certain he'd have a broken bone by the age of 2, but alas we escaped his first two years without a single visit to the ER for a serious injury. I'm baffled by this as he really seems to have no fear: he leaps off the sofa, climbs whatever he can, runs at top speed, and races up and down the steps in our house.

However, on Thursday morning last week, while the house was still dark, he was chasing Shergar (which he's not supposed to do) while I was in the kitchen getting his breakfast ready. All of a sudden, I heard a VERY loud "crack" and then silence. Silence is never a good sign. It means a scream is coming. Sure enough, about five seconds later, he let out a blood-curdling scream. I raced into the living room to find him crumpled on the floor near the window. I think he must have tripped (probably just over his feet as there was nothing on the floor... he takes after me I guess in the clutz department) and smashed his head on the window sill (which is only about 12 inches off the floor). It took me a few minutes to figure out where he was hurt. I was looking for blood on his head and eventually found that it was his cheekbone and eye area that got the brunt of the hit. It took me a half hour of rocking, singing, and talking softly for him to stop screaming. He has NEVER cried that long after an injury. Mick was gone (had travel for two full weeks in a row... boy was I happy to see him this weekend and give up the single-parent duties!) so I then had to determine whether the injury was severe enough for a trip to the ER. I decided his eye was fine and his pupils looked correctly dilated (no concussion) so decided we'd care for it at home. I tried ice -- multiple times -- and every time was met with shrieking protests. So I decided to skip the ice. No need to make the kid even more upset. About an hour after the injury, Jack decided he wanted a banana, which he wolfed right down... and then asked for another (which, of course, I gave him). He then got it in his head that it's not ice that fixes an injury, but a banana. Hey - if it works for him, it works for me.

I took a slew of pictures to keep Mick updated throughout the day on the state of the injury. Here are a few of them:

One hour post injury

Four hours post injury

Nine hours post injury (after nap - eye was swollen shut when I first went into his room)

Ten hours post injury

26 hours post injury

Chickpea

Yesterday, Mick, Jack and I made our way to the maternal-fetal medicine clinic for my 20 week ultrasound. That's right: Jack will be a big brother sometime in mid-February!

We had a very thorough ultrasound as my doctor wanted to make absolutely sure that none of Baby Landon's birth defects were present with our little one. All organs and systems checked out just fine and Jack was able to wave at the baby (when we were shown the baby's hands).

Jack was much more interested in the baby's "pictures" than I thought he'd be. He repeatedly blew kisses to the baby and kept saying "hello, baby!" to the video screen. We've consulted him on possible names for the baby (we've opted again to have a gender surprise on delivery day) and here is a typical conversation:

Me: Jack, what should we name the baby?
Jack: Baby Thomas (we met a friend's baby in late August who is named Thomas and Jack is obsessed with this name now! When I tell him that's Papa's name, he looks at me as if I'm a fool and says "no, Papa's name Papa")
Me: What should we name it if it's a girl?
Jack: Boy
Me: And what should we name it if it's a boy?
Jack: Girl

For now though, Jack has opted to call the little critter "chickpea" which I think fits just fine (and is pretty appropriate given that chickpeas are one of Jack's all-time favorite foods; I hope he likes his sibling as much).

To say that Jack is excited is an understatement. He talks about it constantly and has a little ritual he has developed all on his own. He says "Jack kiss baby?" and then he lifts my shirt, kisses my belly, lays his head on my belly, pats my belly, and then smooths my shirt back down. It's the sweetest thing! Out of the blue, he'll say something like "Jack big bubba?" and we tell him that yes, he'll be a big brother when it gets very cold out (though, in Michigan, that could be next week and we'd really like the baby to cook a bit more before meeting him/her). He is also repeatedly telling me "Jack not hurt baby, Jack sing baby, Jack hug baby." He has randomly asked if he can feed the baby rocks, but I suspect he'll figure out quickly once the baby is here that that isn't such a good idea.

As for me, I'm pretty shocked that I'm at the halfway point already. I felt like my pregnancy with Jack dragged on and on and was virtually the only thing I thought about. This time though, I'll often get to the end of the day and think "did I have lunch? did I drink enough water?" because Jack is running me ragged leaving little time to focus on the pregnancy. I asked my doctor at my last appointment if I could possibly have pregnancy-induced anemia because, even though I'm in my second trimester, I remain tired beyond belief. My doctor looked at me, sympathetically smiled, and said "You're tired because you're pregnant and chasing a two-year-old. It's not anemia - it's motherhood." Sigh.

We have lots of items on our to-do list over the coming months including painting the baby's room, moving Jack out of his crib and into his own big bed, and buying a bigger vehicle. Stay tuned for updates as we get closer to meeting Jack's brother or sister!