Happy 3rd Birthday, Jack!

(Written in March.  Better late than never :))

Last week, our first born turned 3!  I will say this EVERY year until forever but I can't believe he is 3 already.

A Year of JACK

Every year of Jack's life has had its up and downs but I can honestly say that I have enjoy the last year the most.  He is no longer a baby or a toddler trying so hard to express himself.  He is now this amazing little boy who says the funniest things and amazes us every day with something new.  He is a sponge that soaks up every word, every action.  He displays incredible empathy for a 3 year old, he says please and thank you (most of the time!) unprompted and he is very social (which pleases his introverted mommy and daddy SO much!).

This year Jack became a big brother and he has made the transition effortlessly.  In 6 months there has only been one time that he pulled out "You don't love me anymore."  Broke. My. Heart.


He hasn't displayed jealously or anger towards us or Leo or life in general.  Instead, Jack has been loving, gentle (as gentle as three year old can be!) and genuinely concerned about Leo's wellbeing.    He likes to sing to Leo when he is upset and always wants to show off his little bro to his friends at school..."Hey guys, come see my baby!"




Jack at 3 years:

* He is potty trained!  I am not ashamed to admit that after trying several times and several methods we finally settled on bribery...and it worked!  Of course there are occasional accidents and night time is a work in progress but he is a diaper free dude =) (Update: 2 months later and he 100% potty trained day and night...YAY!!!  He lets us know when we are out and at home he just goes on his own, it's awesome And he no longer requires bribery!)
* Favorite show is Dinosaur Train.  He can identify several different types of dinosaurs and knows the differences between carnivore, herbivore and omnivore. (Update:  Literally within a DAY this changed.  His new favorite show is Octonauts.  Obsessed.  But on the upside he is expanding his knowledge of prehistoric animals to sea creatures!)
* Loves to sing!  His favorite is Old McDonald and I sing You Are My Sunshine :)
* Can count to 15, knows his ABCs and colors but not a fan of being "art-sy"
* Will NOT smile for a picture...even bribery fails.
* He is thriving in school!  In January he moved up to the Primary classroom (aka preschool).  I was nervous about the transition because the Primary class has kids ages 3-6, the class has more structure but also give the kids more independence (for example the kids are allowed to serve themselves their own snacks when they want and pick out activities they want to work with).  The thought of giving him so much freedom made me nervous!

(Jack's first teacher, Ms. Ginger, will always have a special place in our hearts.)

* Now that warmer weather has arrived we have been spending a lot of time outside which means we have entered the "bug phase" much to my chagrin.  Thankfully rolly pollies are his favorite and he loves to hunt for them.  During a recent catch he told the bug "It's ok.  I'll take care of you."  So sweet...unfortunately the majority of these unoffensive bugs will meet their demise in the hands of this 3 year old.
* Traveled to Seattle and Lake Cushman in Washington.  Hiked through the "jungle" and saw an amazing new place.

*Went to his first baseball game.

* Shortly after he turned 3, he entered a painfully shy phase.  Mainly it's only with unfamiliar adults and thankfully he pretty good at jumping right in and playing with new peers.
* He's very much a boy...he loves to play in dirt and puddles, gets super excited about every "stinky truck",  loader and airplane we pass, and he won't keep his hands out of his pants.  (Sorry, Jack at age 20...the last one is very true, xoxo!)

Some of the funnier moments from the year....

We had a big Dinosaur Train themed birthday party with friends and family, treats and bouncy houses.  A great time was had by all...under the age of 4 :).  Some of the big gifts this year were Mr. Conductor and a fish tank (with Dori, Huey/Dewey/Gooey , and Kermit) and the "hoopty" from Gramma H.

This year, we discovered that Jack has beautiful wavy blonde hair and for the first time haircuts are a regular thing or else this happens....

J calls it the "Phil Spector" look...we are still working on a specific hair style :)

Jack, sweet boy, you continue to push me further than anyone ever has and quiet frankly I will expect nothing else from you for the rest of our time together.  But in the end, when you look up at me and say with your sweet voice, "Mommy...I love you, " everything is washed clean and my heart is full with just the presence of you in my life.  

Love you baby, Mom

Leo 7 Months

(Written in May 2014)

Leo may be Jack's doppelgänger but it is appearance only.

In the last two months his sweet disposition has begun to emerge and I can honestly say that he just a a happy baby.  Of course, like any little person, he has his good days and bad days but pretty much everyday he will offer up a huge gummy grin to any stranger who stops to say hi.  While out to dinner the other night, the owner asked if she could hold him (we of course obliged, who are we to turn down a free sitter even if for only a few minutes!) and he happily walked around with her for 10 minutes.


















At six months, I started him on solid foods and so far he has loved everything but his favorite it bananas with blueberries.

Bedtime is between 6:00 and 7:00.  He generally nurses around 3:30 am and back to sleep until 6:30 am.  Yes, he's getting up once a night BUT this I can totally handle ;)

In the last month, Leo has truly mastered the art of rolling and he doesn't stay in one place for long.  I don't see him crawling any time soon and after having one son that started walking at 9 months I'm okay if the second son takes his time on the mobility front!  He can also sit up unassisted for a minute or so before toppling over.  He's not in a hurry and I have found that this time around I'm not in a hurry either.

Despite the fact that he has been showing signs of teething for sometime, none of the little buggers have made an appearance yet.  And he continues to think his big bro is the funniest thing around :)



Lindsey