June 10, 4:30

One of the few documentation things (well, right now it's the only thing I can think of) that I have managed to be consistent with since Jack was born is taking his picture on his birthday at the time of his birth. And as you'll see below, I almost screwed it up one year...

2004: Just out!

2005: Watching "Jeopardy!" He loved to hear the music and the noises.

2006: I forgot to take one, but I took this one of my sister and nephew at 4:30 and Jack was coloring in the background. I'm counting it.

2007: Watching "Berenstain Bears"--a birthday gift from Grandma and Grandpa

2008: Playing on the computer

Birthday Boy

Jack had a pretty good fourth birthday. We were going to go to the splash pad, but it was a little chilly, so we are going to try again tomorrow. This afternoon we went to a puppet show at the library. Part of the way through Jack got really freaked out by one of the puppets, so we left and he watched from outside the door.

Trying to participate without getting too close

Afterward, he ran to put on his own puppet show.

We went out for dinner--he chose Applebee's because he likes their high tables.

A birthday cupcake at home

Hitting the Jackpot

Four years ago tonight we went to the hospital to have a baby. Though Jay had known since January what we were having, I was clueless. I was pretty sure it was a girl, though. Anyway, I was a week overdue and my doctor told me to come in Wednesday night and we'd get things started. I came in and got checked and he proclaimed that nothing was going on and nothing was likely to go on so I could probably just go back home if I wanted. I had to put my foot down because 1) the hospital was on a hill and I was not making that trek as a pregnant woman even one more time, 2) I was not leaving unless I had a baby with me, and 3) "Monk" was coming on in about an hour and a half and we didn't have cable at home. So I stayed.

The next morning the contractions started and I was pretty sure I was dying. At the same time, I didn't want to look like a wimp to the people Jay worked with, so I gave him several 911 pages and collapsed on the bed until he got there. When the nurses came in I made sure to tell them I felt sick to my stomach (though I didn't) because the last thing my sister told me before I left for the hospital was how she had thrown up while she was in labor, and if you know me in real life you know I don't handle that kind of thing well. Between the phenergan and the epidural the rest of the morning became a blur.

About 2:00, the doctor came in and said he would check my water, which then broke. He asked if I wanted to go ahead and push. Hmmmm.....Now what other options do you really have in that situation? So I pushed. My friend Rachel ended up coming in to hold my leg so that Jay could deliver the baby. He was really behind on deliveries so I wanted to be a good wife and help out, you know. At 4:30 the baby came out and Jay said, "It's a boy!" and I thought he must be confused, because I was sure it was going to be a girl. Sure enough, though, that medical training didn't lie; Jack was a boy.

Jay and I have both said many times that Jack is totally not what we pictured when we imagined having a son--we both were thinking dark hair, brown eyes, kind of quiet. I have no idea why we thought he'd be quiet--but he is a million times better than we ever dreamed. Happy birthday, Jackabooter!
(FYI...The first picture was the one we used for his birth announcements, which said, "We hit the jackpot!" Aren't we clever? haha We were goofing around with him when he was about nine days old and for some reason we put him in the pot and took a picture. Is it really clear that we are first time parents? We hadn't planned to use it for anything (hence the fruit bars, tums, and breast pump still left in the picture), but we decided it was too cute to pass up. Maybe the next child will have something a little more formal. Or at least we will try to clear off the counter beforehand.)

Park Party

In the past we have always had a combined family and friends party for Jack's birthday, but this year we decided to separate the two. Saturday we had a party in our hometown for our family and later this week he will have his very first kids party.

The dragon cake

They got lots of play time on the playground.

Jack walking Penny, the guest of honor.

Birthday Boy!

He was very excited about his presents this year. He got several dinosaurs and space guys, which he loves.

My Exhausted Assistant Drew a Name...

...and it's Mary! Mary, I'll pm you in a minute to get your address and your package will be on its way later this week. If you didn't win, I have one more small giveaway planned for my birthday at the end of the month, so stay tuned!

O is for Owl

Yesterday was Jack's last three year old class at the zoo. Starting next month he will be in with the big four and five year olds! Jack learned about owls--that they:

• fly quietly
• hunt for mice
• have soft feathers
• are awake at night
  

Working on his owl puppets. He really takes his time coloring now.

The finished products

Sheldon the screech owl

On the way to see some other owls we ran across this little guy--no, not literally, though one kid did try to stomp on him.

Some of the owls in the nocturnal animal barn

We finally found the kangaroos! We had been wondering where they had been moved to ever since we were rowing Katy No-Pocket!

Catfish love tortillas. Who knew? I wish I had gotten a better picture--they were swarming all over the place trying to get a bite.

Marking a Milestone

I hesitate to put this out there for fear of jinxing it, but last night Jack went to sleep on his own for the first time. Those of you who don't know me in real life are probably thinking, "Jack? Surely she must mean some infant that she's just never talked about here before. Surely she doesn't mean Jack!" Yes, I mean Jack. The same Jack who will turn four in less than one week.

Monday night he was getting pretty wild at bedtime, so we decided to have him try to go to sleep on his own. Lots of sobbing and hiccuping and pleading ensued and he finally compromised by curling up part way with Jay until he fell asleep. He woke up around 11:30 and grabbed my neck with herculean strength and tried to get me to promise not to leave his room. The next morning he told me several times that he never wanted to sleep alone again. So last night I was not too optimistic.

Bedtime is usually around 8:00, but when 8:00 rolled around, we were still at the library and had more errands and dinner left on the to-do list, so Jack wasn't ready for bed until about 10:00. We went through his regular bedtime routine and after we were all done he listened to a couple of stories on CD and fell asleep on his own. I was pretty sure it was a fluke, but he did it again tonight--only with much more calling out from his room. So maybe this is going to stick, after all.

Now if we can just get him to sleep through the night...