I have been a bad mommy blogger over the past few months :(. So here's a quick catch up of life in the Voigts' home.

The developmental changes in a child during this first year of life continue to amaze me. For my record keeping purposes here is a list of Jack's accomplishments over the past few months:

* At 5 1/2 months Jack started to crawl (army crawl).
* 6 months- he crawled over to me and pulled himself up to a standing position, much to my surprise.
* October 4- discovered Jack was cutting his first teeth. A week later the bottom 2 teeth had popped up. The top 2 are a day away from coming through also.
* October 5- learned how to crawl on hands and knees.
* 7 months- can go from a crawling position to a sitting position without assistance, likes to kneel while playing, and pulled himself into a standing position in crib. Also, we have started to have 3 meals a day and just started to try out finger food (cereal).
*November 1 (a week shy of 8 months) with the assistance of the walker, Jack took off on his feet! I think he really might be on track to walk before Christmas!!!



We went on vacation to Florida during the second week of October and Jack experienced so many firsts…sunset, swimming, sand! He was an EXCELLENT traveler and with the exception of one night he was a great sleeper too. We took walks on the beach every morning and evening while J carried Jack in the carrier. We also learned that we need to change our expectations of vacations now that we are a family. It was wonderful to watch Jack take in all of these new experiences but vacationing with a baby isn't necessarily as relaxing as a vacation without your child ;). That being said, I look forward to many (many) more family vacations!








We have been trying to keep busy as the weather get cooler by taking classes and having play dates. Jack and I are participating in our second Kindermusik class and also Signing Smart (sign language). I absolutely LOVE watching his interact with the other children and parents. I like to say that Jack has never met a stranger because he will just crawl over and hop in another mother's lap.

Here is the end of summer & fall in photographs…



We spent Labor Day in Vail.



Opa came to visit.


Jack got his first cold ;(



Mommy's little helper!


Grandma Harris came to visit.


Happy Halloween!


Stella joined the family.


Gigi visited.


Jack just being awesome ;)



Family.

Lindsey

25 Things You Didn't Know...

….About Me!


1. I find the Weather Channel very soothing and I NEED to know what the weather is going to be everyday.
2. I still cut the crust off of my sandwiches.
3. I love a good book, I obsess about it until I am done and when I finish the last page I feel a bit sad like I've just ended a relationship….it takes me a while until I am ready for a new "relationship".
4. If my house was on fire and I could only save one thing (besides my family and pets), it would be my photographs.
5. I always wished I had a sibling.
6. I'm kind of obsessive with Chapstick and hand sanitizer.
7. I have two amazing parents, a wonderful husband, and a spectacular son…everyday I am thankful for my life.
8. I've always wondered what I would look like without freckles.
9. Music by Dave Matthews will always hold a special place in my heart for so many reasons.
10. I hate the feeling I get after I drop someone off at the airport.
11. I recently discovered that I really enjoy cooking, much to my surprise!
12. I love HBO.
13. I have been doing my own laundry since I was 8 and I have hated every minute of it.
14. I love airports and traveling but I absolutely hate flying.
15. I have a severe and uncontrollable fear of needles.
16. I am left handed.
17. I don't mind or feel weird about going to the movies alone.
18. Becoming a mother has changed me in more ways than I ever thought possible.
19. I have learned to keep my opinions to myself during conversations about politics, religion, and childrearing.
20. The one thing I miss the most about living in IL is the thunderstorms.
21. My 7th grade basketball coach introduced me to my husband…the coach is now my father in law.
22. I got my first grey hair when I was 17.
23. I cannot leave the house without my sunglasses.
24. I hate black licorice more than anything.
25. I was born 28 years ago today. Monday, October 3, 1983 at 8:14 am, weighing it in 7 lbs 13 oz.

The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

When Jack was only weeks old, we discovered by some random chance that "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" by Gordon Lightfoot was like a sedative to him. Turn it on and he would almost immediately stop crying and start listening intently. Like most things, it's effectiveness faded over time but it seems………..GORDON IS BACK!!!

Justin gave Mr. Lightfoot another chance a few night back and it's been working like a charm. Tonight I was on my own for bedtime and as usually as soon as you put Jack down in his crib he is not happy and will cry until you go up to sooth him down for the night. After about 15 minutes of crying I pulled up Gordon on the iPad, crawled into Jack's room (yes, I said crawl), and started playing "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald". BANG! Silence. Didn't make another peep. 3 minutes into the song he was out. I played it again just to be safe and baby boy has been out like a light. Bless you Gordon.


Here's Jack and Gordon a few month ago...

For those of you who don't know who or what I am talking about….here he is for your listening pleasure. Happy Saturday Night!



Lindsey

Pizza, Pickle, Pumpernickel

We learned this little ditty in Kindermusik…

Right Here, Right Now

Never in my life have I been so in the moment. There is nowhere I would rather be and nothing I would rather be doing….and that's a first. I occasionally reminisce about days gone by but I am no longer itching for tomorrow. I am so aware that I will NEVER be able to get these days back so I literally want to soak up every moment. It's a strange but great feeling to be so fulfilled with life…right here, right now.



Jack hit 5 months yesterday and the changes in his personality and motor skills amaze me every day. It's crazy to see how much they develop in the first months of life. He breaks out in fits of laughter (which brings tears to my eyes) and he is grabbing EVERYTHING! He is showing early signs of wanting to crawl by getting his legs tucked up under his body and scooting towards toys out of his reach (god help me!) and he is sitting up while assisted.



Also in his 5th month of life, it has become apparent that Jack is "all boy". I have had several friends say to me "You're going to have your hand full with him!"….the same thought has crossed my mind a few times. He is constantly on the move! He wants to touch everything and he likes to have his freedom to move and discover. I wouldn't classify Jack as a snuggler (which makes me just a bit sad) but I love that he is the most active out of his "friends". Our little boy is going to keep me on my toes and running for years to come and I am totally up for the challenge!





We have discovered that Jack LOVES music. By the end of the day he is starting to get fussy so we have been strapping him into the Beco (our baby carrier) and turning on the tunes and….POOF, calm baby! We also started Kindermusik last Friday (basically it's a Mommy and Me class where we dance and sing) and he seemed to really enjoy it. I don't have a lick of musical talent and my voice is horrendous but I do enjoy having an excuse to turn on some Dave to end our day.



He totally recognizes Mama and Dada and when Daddy walks in at the end of the day he gets so excited. I have enjoyed watching J grow into his new title, Dad. I think the first few months of a child's life are for the mother and once they become a little less dependent on Mom and their little personalities starts to emerge that is when the bonding with Dad really begins. It's a bummer that J's weekday time with Jack is pretty limited but I love that they have their time together during bath, books, and bed. And during the weekends we have gotten good at tag teaming so each of us can get a nap in during the day! I don't say it enough but, J, I think that you are an amazing dad…Jack's face lights up every time you walk into the room and being an outside observer to the bond you two have makes me love and respect you more than I ever thought possible.



Lindsey

77 Days

It's been 77 days since I started a sleep journal for Jack. The journal is nothing fancy, just nightly notes I keep on the iPad which track when Jack goes to bed, when he gets up to eat and for how long. At 3 am I can hardly remember my name let alone how many times he's been up.

Day 1 was May 12, the day that Jack was officially booted from our room. At his 2 month appointment the pediatrician suggested we move to Jack his own room and maybe he would start sleeping for longer periods. The thinking being if he couldn't hear us or smell me he would just go back to sleep, ahhhh if it were only that easy. On this particular night, he was up every 30 minutes or so and I had had enough. So we pushed his Pack n Play out in the hall outside of our bedroom and closed the door….just so we could breath and recompose our sanity. The next night he was permanently relocated to his own room and crib.

So here we are, 77 days later. After MANY frustrating nights of up every hour, trying and tweaking new routines, and burying my head under a pillow while he cries, last night Jack slept for………………………9 straight hours! 9 HOURS!!!! I never thought I would see the day. He was in bed at 7 pm, up at 4 am for a 10 minute feeding, and when J got up at 7 am he looked at the monitor and Jack was just hanging out in his bed, playing with his feet and talking to himself.



It's funny to look back over some of my notes from the past 77 days. I don't know how we survived some nights. So today is a very proud day for this Mama!

Lindsey

Giggles

NOTHING is more amazing than hearing the sound of you child learn to laugh….ok hearing his heartbeat for the first time is right up there too. Hope this makes you smile….




Lindsey