I Know Everything and Nothing

I have just realized that we all go through life knowing nothing and then thinking we know everything. When we are kids, we don't know everything and we don't care because being a kid is fun. Then pre-teen adolescence and teen years, we know everything. College, nothing. Graduate and get a job, everything. Have a child, nothing. (Retirement, everything? Not sure yet. I haven't gotten there)

I see it in the children playing in the water fountain when their moms tell them to be careful. The either do what she says or don't because they want to do it so badly, not because they think they know it all. Then in the teens when they walk around town with their friends. They know it all, or at least they have to try and act that way. The college goers just have a deer in the headlights look (or maybe that's just a hang over). I notice this in the young twenty somethings without children. They know how to stop my child from crying when we are in public and are disgusted that I don't. I am sure they will understand in their next step, or at least see it in their close friends' struggles. Having a kid, I am not sure I will ever know enough.

Jack at 4.5 months

He is amazing! I always thought this was funny when parents thought that these little things were so amazing but it is when just yesterday they were blobs in a car seat! Jack has done so much in these past weeks:

*He is rolling over like crazy! Sometimes to his own frustration. I don't think he wants to be on his belly so often but he can't remember how to roll back onto his back. He also was waking himself up at night by rolling onto his belly and not liking it, banging his head on the crib, so we got those wedges on either side of him and he's sleeping better.

*Yesterday he had his first "solid food" of rice cereal while we ate dinner. He loved it! He's an eater (as we all know from his 20 pound girth).

*He is playing in his exersaucer and jumpy thing in the doorway. It's fun to see him enjoying himself without needing me. He is a real explorer. He also loves watching the trees outside the living room window.

*He is learning how to take naps. We all know how cranky we get when we don't get sleep. Well, Jack was starting to miss his naps and be real fussy toward the end of the day (Steve gets home and I do the quick hand off). So we are "Ferber"ing him, letting him try and find his own ways to sleep, even if he has to cry a little- it's tough. Dr. Ferber is a sleep specialist and he has some great ideas on sleeping. It makes us all happier and healthier.

Next up is sitting! I get all excited about his develpments but will be running much more when he starts running, I am sure.

Fluids

I know this sounds gross and it kind of is. These days I don't know where some of these liquids come from that are on me. In my hair, on my shirt, even on my pants or on the top of my foot! It could be from Charlie (he drools a lot), it could be from Jack (he drools a lot too), it could be spit up, it could be worse, #1 or#2! Having kids humbles you.

Oregonian

A typical year usually includes a trip to Oregon to visit my good buddy Christina and brother-in-law John, and their kids. It's always a great place to be. There is so much beauty and land to hike on and explore that you can hardly believe that any one person deserves to enjoy that beauty. Everything is so full of life. Even in the winter, the snow is abundant and coats every top of the tree or house with innocence and simplicity.

This trip was a little more interesting with a little one. Steve and I rented a car because we were not sure how we would fit 3 kids in car seats in one car. As it turns out, Christina and I did on our was to a walk, along with 2 dogs. It was awesome. It's interesting being an aunt turned mom because you can longer be at your nieces and nephew's disposal. Play time has to be after a feeding or diaper change.

This was one more week of Steve's paternity leave so Steve got to hang with the boy as I played with Patrick and got to know the little charmer girl who will be 1 soon. They were a blast and we miss them already. Though we can hike here, it's no where close to the same as the mother load of nature up there.

Nieces and Nephews

The cutest things that my nieces and nephews have said:

Gabrielle age 5:
"Can Jack be my boyfriend? Not to marry or anything, just to be my boyfriend."

Olivia at age 5 or so:
Andria -"Olivia, how do I print this?"
Olivia- "I think you go to print.com."

Patrick age 4:
After seeing Incredible Hulk, with jaw to the ground:
"Awesome!"

Australia

New news: Steve and Jack and I get to go to Sydney, Australia for 3 months for Steve's work. WooHoo! We've always wanted to go there. I bet we could get some great weekends in there. Taste some serious wine. Check out a dream of a place in New Zealand . Scuba dive ("Are you for scuba?")


If you have suggestions for places to see in Australia or Sydney, let us know!

4 Months: Livin' Large & Sleeping-ish

Jack will be turning 4 months this Saturday and last weigh in showed about a week ago showed him as 18.03 pounds. Yeah, he's a big boy. We have him in 6-9 , month clothing now. Though it seems to not phase many mothers who have had similar stories, it amazes me (and tires me out from holding him!)

There are, of course, the amazing things that he does. He rolled from him back to his belly a couple times, once ending in a little accident. Yes, bad mom. No more couch lay downs! He loves his tummy time. He loves to bat at things with his arm and looks at them as he does it. He loves his new friend Sophie the giraffe which I recommend to any parent.

He also giggles when tickled or attempt to tickle. He knows what we are going to do before we do it! He laughs when I make sounds with my tongue.

A cool thing for Steve and I is that he is sleeping for longer amounts of time. Now I say this with a grain of salt as tonight it will probably change now that I wrote this. But my friend Amy told me to try and feed him when he's good and hungry (like 3 hours in between feedings) and put him down at 9 or 10. It works for most nights and we sometimes get 6 hours of sleep before he wants to eat again. It feels good and normal, even though that sounds crazy to a person who has not gone through this. Oh the humanity. I love sleep and so does Jack. Now he is getting naps during the day down. I also started reading How to Solve your Child's Sleep Problems by Dr. Ferber. This was recommended by my doctor and my friend. It's supposed to help you understand sleep patterns, even if you think you don't have a problem, per se.

I will try to write more so I can remember all these cool things he is doing. He's amazing of course and does so much. In the meantime check out our photos.