Our Time in Michigan

It's been a long time since I've provided a long post with an update on our activities, travels, pictures, etc. so since Jack is still sleeping I decided to update the blog.

First though, Jack's health status: his 4 month well visit was Wednesday & he did quite well. He's the size of a 6 month old, weighing in at 16 lbs, 8 0z (80th percentile) and 25 7/8 inches long (95th percentile). He had 2 shots and I think he felt it yesterday as he was quite fussy and was apparently on a nap strike. That was fun. He's been teething for about a month now but none of the pearly whites have poked through yet. His next visit (barring any colds) is in mid-February.

Now, our trip to Michigan! We made the drive on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Jack and Shergar did very well in the car and we were able to complete the trip in exactly 12 hours. We celebrated Thanksgiving on Friday (so that on Thanksgiving Andy & Sarah and Trevor & Stephanie could be with their other sides of the family) and were most thankful for the turkey. Mick started preparing the fresh turkey on Friday afternoon and I noticed a pretty nasty smell. Turns out the turkey was spoiled! YUCK! Calls to area grocery stores found that no one had fresh turkeys left (after all, who stocks extra turkey the day after Thanksgiving?) and we were all pretty sure we'd have to celebrate with pizza. But thankfully, Craig at Snyder's Market pulled through for us and provided us with the fresh turkey he was saving for his friend to use at Christmas. Thanks, Craig!

Jack spent some quality time with his cousins (Deagan pictured above), the guys (Mick, Andy, and Trevor) helped out by chopping wood for my parents to use in the woodstove this winter, and my parents babysat Jack while Mick and I went out for a very nice dinner at the Blue Cow Cafe.

Mick left on Sunday (Nov. 30) for a week back at the DC office before heading to Australia; the snow started falling a few hours after Mick flew out of Grand Rapids and didn't let up for the next few weeks! Seriously, in a 24 hour period, Big Rapids received a foot of snow. For me, this was one of the best parts of the trip. I love the snow and it's one of the things I miss the most about having lived here for the past nine years (Lake Michigan is the other thing I really miss). Almost every day, I took the dogs out and watched them romp through the increasingly-deep snow.

One day, I took Jack for a ride outside in the sled. He seemed to love the snow and giggled as Papa pulled him around the yard while snow toppled into the sled.


We did a lot of other great things while at home. Thanks to Sarah's good idea, we painted the boys' handprints & footprints on Christmas ornaments. Jack had a few swims in the pool and I am hopeful that he'll be a water baby as he gets older. I was able to spend my first night away from Jack (thanks for all the help, Papa, Grammy, and Aunt Sarah!) so I could take Trevor out to celebrate his graduation from Western. Congratulations on a major accomplishment, Trev!

We spent lots of quality time with Papa and Grammy while in BR and I think Jack burrowed himself further into their hearts. One of the nicest things about having quit my job post Jack's birth is that I can take extended trips to Michigan to see my family & friends. Grammy was especially helpful in working to find a way to keep Jack's pacifier in his mouth when he was fussy. The best idea she could come up with: using her CPAP machine (I said Jack looked a bit like Hannibal Lecter).
Jack and I made the trip back to Arlington this past Monday & my mom rode along with us so she could help with Jack (thanks, Mom!). I was so grateful for her help as Jack had a bit of a meltdown during the last hour of the trip and I was very close to pulling onto the shoulder of the road and just crying. Mick and Jack were reunited after 2 weeks of being apart and, despite Mick's concerns that Jack wouldn't remember him, Jack was all smiles when he saw his daddy. He especially is fond of the present his daddy brought him from Sydney:


We are now busy preparing for our trip to England this weekend. Mick and I are so excited to set Jack's little feet down on British soil and to introduce him to his three great-grandparents.

I'll post with updates on that trip in the coming weeks. In the meantime, all of the photos from our stay in MI are in our photo album. Since I didn't get my act together this year in getting out Christmas cards, please know that we wish all of you a happy holiday season and a safe and healthy new year!