Dream Baby

Yes, I'm taking the chance that I'm going to write this post and completely jinx myself, but let's face it--Carter is fantastic and even if this bliss ends tomorrow, I need to note for posterity that there was a period in which he was the most amazing, sweet baby ever. 

That's not to say that he doesn't have his moments.  Even just this past weekend I'm sure there were a lot of people around us thinking, "Shut that baby up, already!", but who doesn't have those moments?  I'd bet that we've had a heck of a lot less with him than most people have had with their babies. 

The kid oozes pure sweetness and I can't help but swoon every time I look at him.  He's got those bright (but dark) eyes, those amazing cheeks, and the sweetest smile.  He is just the most "chill" baby ever.  Yes, when he's hungry, he is HUNGRY.  He will not let up until you feed him.  But the second that bottle is in his mouth, he is completely content.  He gets a little cranky when he's tired, but a few rocks and usually he's off to dreamland.  I won't say that he's the most patient if I leave him alone, even with toys, but usually I can get a few minutes out of him before I come back, pick him up, and do whatever it is that I need to do with him on my hip.  And most of the time, I don't mind, simply because he's so content while I'm holding him. 

He is very smiley and has a great laugh.  He's very easily amused, which is fun.  He loves peek-a-boo, he loves raspberries on his belly and tickles in his armpits, and just a silly face will get him giggling.  He's just a happy kid.

But what amazes me the most is that he's such a good baby when you most want him to be good.  He goes to bed without incident.  He sleeps through the night.  He wakes up happy.  He's a very content eater.  For the most part he's been very good when I put him in the Bjorn for certain outings, or even when he's stuck in the stroller for a while.  When we went shopping at IKEA over the weekend, I practically forgot he was sitting there in the stroller because he was so quiet.  And there were a couple times I looked at him, sure he was asleep, but no...he just sat there contentedly checking things out.  He's taken amazing marathon naps at ideal times, like the morning of Jacob's birthday party or Saturday morning when I was finishing packing.  We've had so few moments where he has been out-of-character miserable that when he does have one I'm almost at a loss trying to figure out what might be wrong or what to do about it.  I've certainly cuddled him a lot, but I honestly haven't had to actively rock him very much.  He's usually pretty predictable, right down to when he poops and when he's most prone to spit up...which, yes, he does a lot.

As I was thinking about writing this post, I figured I probably could have done a similar one for Jacob.  Turns out, I did.  Right around the same time, in fact.  I do remember Jacob being a smiley, sweet baby, but I also remember a lot of tough times.  He did have undiagnosed acid reflux, after all, but I'm guessing a lot of the tougher times were once he started teething.  We have yet to do that, of course, so it's a little nervewracking to know what could be coming.  Even still, I feel like there's an element of Carter's personality that is just so much lower key than Jacob (heck, I'm pretty sure he kicked a lot less in utero, too), so I'm hoping that we're not facing a similar future with Carter as we're dealing with with Jacob right now.  Maybe Carter just seems that much more chill because he's such a contrast to Jacob.  I didn't really have any frame of reference when Jacob was a baby, but now I know how blissful it is to have a baby that isn't old enough to get into anything, but is still old enough to smile and do a little more than just lay there.  My time with Jacob is so exhausting, but Carter energizes me and keeps me smiling.  He's such a ray of sunshine.

 

Carter is working hard on sitting up right now, and it's so cool to watch him improve.  I see him trying to curl up when he's reclining somewhere (working those abs!), and while he's still lacking balance, he's getting a lot less wobbly when I hold his hands or prop him up.  I forgot how rewarding it is to see your baby do things like that, particularly when they're starting from scratch, you know?  Jacob obviously has a lot to learn in the coming months, and I am looking forward to that, but the simplicity of baby milestones is just so heartwarming. 

 

I tell him how much I love him at least a dozen times a day, and probably kiss his cheeks twice as much.  I just can't help myself.  I'm so overwhelmed with love when I'm with him.  Everything about him just makes me smile.  I love his chubby but muscular thighs, I love that he seems to have gotten my dark eyes like Jacob did, and I love the perfect fuzz he's got on his head.  His giggle is contagious and everyone at daycare raves about how awesome he is. 

 

I tried to weigh him tonight (by stepping on the scale with and without him) and I think he weighed in around 16 pounds.  It absolutely boggles my mind that he's so big and that he's nearly six months old.  It was only a year ago that I was barely pregnant and feeling awful, and six months ago that I was suffering through the horribly uncomfortable stage of late pregnancy.  I can barely fathom that he's here and that he's so awesome, let alone that he's already such a big boy.  I looked tonight at some of his newborn clothes and laughed.  He's fitting into some 6-9 month stuff now, and he's so long!  He was such a tiny little peanut when he was born, barely six pounds and not enough fat to fill out his own skin.  And now he's this increasingly strong, super happy little boy.  The changes just boggle my mind.  I wish I could freeze all these moments in time because they're going too fast! 

 

Here are a couple shots of him from Monday night at Jacob's game.  The first one was sort of an inadvertent shot that I ended up loving, and the second one shows his happy face.  I love both!

 

Blessed indeed...

Baseball, Lacrosse, and More Baseball

Jacob's t-ball has been going relatively well.  He's definitely a great hitter, even now that they're doing coach-pitch instead of using the tee.  He gets a lot of attention from the other teams, as we hear rumblings nearly every game about what a good hitter he is.  I have to admit, his form looks pretty good.  He definitely loves it and always wants to practice, but he still needs to work on fielding and paying attention.  He gets preoccupied by checking out the bases, drawing his own batter's box, and just generally trying to do things his way, so he needs to work on being a good teammate and making sure he won't get clunked by the ball.  He's definitely a good player in comparison to the other kids on his team and other teams, but they all have a long way to go!  It's hard to watch sometimes, since they're all all over the place, but it's fun to watch them learn and improve!  Here's a picture of our little player from Thursday...

Saturday we all took off for Hamilton, where Craig had to work a lacrosse game.  We had a relatively pleasant drive up--some rain, but no issues at the bridge!  We dropped Craig off at the stadium and the kids and I went to IKEA.  I had a few things I wanted to look for and ended up with a longer list of projects I'd like to do someday, if I could just have a master handyman come and do all the scary stuff!  I got four small things.  Jacob was a little all over the place at times, but generally wasn't too bad.  Carter was completely content in the stroller.  As we finished up shopping I knew we wouldn't have time for a full dinner before the game.  I was thinking we could have gotten food at the game, but decided at the last minute that it would be much cheaper (and potentially tastier) to get some snacks at the IKEA Café.  We got two hot dogs and a soda for $2 (!) and added a cinnamon roll to split ($1.50).  It was perfect and we headed out into the drizzly night to go to the game. 

I didn't take any pictures, probably because I took some last year and had my hands full this year.  It rained once while we were out in the stands, but the umbrella did its job and the temperature stayed reasonable enough.  I had Carter in the Bjorn and we ended up sitting with Craig's boss and his wife for a while.  She loves babies and was happy to hold Carter for a while.  Craig came out to find us at one point, and eventually we headed up to his booth in the press box...and just in time, as it poured near the end of the game while we were up there.  After the game we headed to a hotel, where Jacob did his usual hellish hotel antics--not going to sleep, screwing around on his bed, throwing pillows, etc.  He didn't get to bed until late, though luckily we all slept rather well and woke up around 8:30.  Even Carter did well in his pack-n-play, aside from one barely noteworthy whiny spell that I shushed away. 

We decided to work our way back slowly, much like we did on our Hamilton trip last year.  We grabbed some breakfast and drove to Niagara Falls, where we strolled down Clifton Hill.  I fed Carter in a park across from the Falls while Jacob and Craig played, and then we walked up to the railing so Jacob could see the Falls...

Perfect day!

And then we worked our way back up the hill, stopped for ice cream and a game of bubble hockey, then headed to my parents' house for a little while.  Jacob played baseball and Carter was his usual charming self.  We took off a little after 4pm so we could hit up the Batavia Muckdogs game on our way home.  We last went to a game there when Jacob was two (!), and I took one of my favorite pictures of the boys ever, after Jacob ran the bases postgame.  It was a nice night, though it got a little chilly as the night went on, and the game was quite the barnburner (10-5 final, I think?).  The boys saw a foul ball break someone's back car window (UGH), Jacob met the mascot...

...and we tried to enjoy the night despite near-constant whining from Jacob (about any little thing you can imagine), and a little fussiness from Carter (not sure if it's teeth, or if he had just sort of had it with being ported around all weekend). 

The thing was, we had to stay until the end of the game so Jacob could run the bases...

That's him in the red shirt.  And yes, he's wearing his baseball socks with shorts (I forgot pants for him for when it got cool) and his cleats.

And, yes, we did a follow-up picture three years later to attempt to match the glory of the original.  Not quite, but it's still a great picture of the boys!


The hats have changed and Jacob is way bigger, but the smiles are the same!  Maybe next year Carter will join the crew :)

We had fun, but it was a long day.  I was so happy to get home, get the kids in bed, and get in bed myself...though I had way too much to do to get around to that early enough.  I'm still glad we got a chance to go to Hamilton this summer, but it is always hard to be gone for a weekend because I feel so far behind when the new week starts.  And this week we had t-ball again on Monday, and tonight Craig was back up in Canada for a work-related event, so I was on my own with both kids, including an overtired Jacob who was barely functional.  Oh, the whining.  Jacob, if you don't want me to yell, try listening and obeying the first time!  UGH.  So now it's nearly mid-week and I feel like I'm barely keeping my head above water.  But I am too mentally spent to do anything except blog! 

We're home this coming weekend, thankfully.  We have a Red Wings game where Jacob gets to parade with other Little Leaguers on Saturday, and a birthday party for one of his friends on Sunday.  Craig is home so we should have some good quality family time in between all of these events.  I hope.  Summer is rapidly dwindling, and I feel like we've barely gotten to do anything, including swim in our own pool!  Oy...and I wonder why I'm stressed.  Hopefully another (happier) blog post coming up in the next day or so...


Napping: A Cautionary Tale

In case I haven't mentioned it, bedtime with Jacob has been downright horrible for a while.  He used to be so great at going to bed, and then at some point, he wasn't anymore.  Over the years he's gone in phases for sure, but this particular phase was extra bad and extra long.  I used to quietly gloat about how good bedtime was in our house whenever I'd hear about the kids who endlessly needed to pee, needed another glass of water, etc.  Jacob wasn't like that.  But then he figured out that if he had to pee, we HAD to let him get up and do it.  We could deny water because he pees so much overnight (yep, he's still in a pull-up (though the big kid ones now), and the doctor says his brain and bladder just have to figure it out on their own)), but when he's sick that's a little harder...so another crack in the armor.  And slowly but surely the excuses grew.  And certainly since he's been in his new room, we've had to contend with a lot more.  He's hungry, he's thirsty, he's scared, he's having bad dreams (did you know you could dream before you actually go to sleep?  Me neither.), his light looks like it's going to come alive, he can't find an animal, he needs Daddy, and on and on and on.  Sometimes he feels the need to tell us something random or discuss something unimportant at the most inopportune time.  Even when he leaves us alone, you can always hear him up there playing with his animals.  And yes, I know that he'd have less distractions if we took them away, but dude, he's only five and I know I slept with animals for years.  Should we penalize him because he's creative with them?  I dunno.

Anyway, he's constantly been out of his room and won't go back unless we threaten or physically take him back.  It's been ridiculous.  We've taken away animals and Legos, moved up his bedtime...you name it, and yet every night it's a challenge.  And to top it all off, it's been going on for longer and longer into the night, to the point that he's barely falling asleep before we go to bed, sometimes as late as 10:30! 

Given that his behavior is an issue most of the time, I knew this couldn't be good.  In addition, sometimes he was waking up as early as 6:30 or so, and I knew that even with an afternoon nap at daycare, that wasn't enough.  On weekends at home, he's refused to nap for a while now, probably since mid-winter.  While his behavior isn't too bad on non-napped days, there have been a lot of times where we'll hop in the car to go out to dinner and he will fall asleep on the way.  Then he's impossible to wake up and gets a little hyper afterward.  Ugh.  So while I know he's not quite out of the need to nap, he still can be relatively functional without it.  We just have to stay out of moving vehicles if at all possible.

His naps at daycare have generally been an hour or two each day.  I think a lot of that was peer pressure and force of habit, more than actually needing one.  My fear, of course, is that without a nap, being at daycare all day with all that activity and stimulation would turn him into a monster by the end of the day.  At least at home on weekends there's a lot of mental downtime--TV, video games, low-key Lego playing--but at daycare there's stuff going on all day, and there are a lot of kids to keep him going.  I just didn't want his teachers dealing with a crazy child at the end of the day if they didn't have to. 

The other issue, of course, is that Kindergarten starts in another six weeks, and he won't get a nap there.  Gone are the days of grabbing your little rug and taking a break.  Heck, we did that in half-day Kindergarten when I was a kid!  But I didn't see any sign of naptime on his daily schedule at orientation, so I was a little concerned about transitioning him out of it before September. 

Well...the other night it hit me that perhaps he's not just trying to be difficult (though I'm sure that's part of it), but that he's simply not tired.  Even though he might seem tired, he's not tired enough to sleep.  So, I decided to ask at daycare for him to skip naptime.  A lot of other kids do it, and it's fine--they have other activities for them and it's all good.  And what happened?  Well...the first day he almost fell asleep standing up at Wegmans on the way home.  He kept sitting on the cart bottom looking pathetically tired and insisting he couldn't walk around the store.  But once we got past that, he was fine.  And after one or two excuses at bedtime, he was asleep within 15 minutes of bedtime.  Yesterday was t-ball, so I'm sure he had adrenaline on his side, but after 30 minutes at most, he was out, practically doing a face-plant.  Both mornings he's actually slept in much later than usual, giving credence to that whole "sleep begets sleep" theory, which I already wholeheartedly agreed with. 

So...yeah.  Turns out that naps are great things...until they're not anymore.  We'll see how this goes in the long run, but I'll admit I was pretty proud of myself 15 minutes after bedtime a couple nights ago.  It's nice to have one of those, "Hey, I actually figured out parenting for a split second" moments.  They're few and far between so it's great to get one when I can!

Busy

Sorry, I know it got a little quiet here over the past few days.  Things have been crazy.  Or maybe I'm just extra tired and thinking about and/or writing blog posts just isn't happening.  I'm way behind on so many things--going through mail, writing thank you notes, cleaning, etc., and this weekend didn't help, as we were busy Saturday and Sunday seemed to turn into a recovery day.  I meant to do all sorts of stuff yesterday afternoon with Carter in tow, leaving the big boys home to play, but I got sleepy right along with Carter and never made it.  So Craig and Jacob swam and I tried to nap, and then we ended up all going out together in the evening and cramming in as much as we could.  We had some hiccups (like a dumped full cup of ice water at dinner and not making it to the last place I wanted to stop at), but we survived.  We exchanged Jacob's new table, bought a can of formula and team snacks for tonight's t-ball game, and I still managed to use the coupon for the last stop we didn't make (Kohl's) by scoring a pretty awesome online order that took me most of the rest of the night to figure out.  It was a 30% off coupon that was expiring, and I didn't want to let it go to waste since there were things I was eyeing up for myself and Carter is rapidly outgrowing a lot of his summer clothes.  I'm quickly realizing that this four-month shift in birth months is a weird one.  I had hoped that the stuff that was big on Jacob during his first summer would at least get Carter through the hot weather, but slowly but surely I find myself throwing outgrown clothes into the bin in the closet.  Boo.  He'll actually need a handful of stuff that fits him when he's a full seven-month-old baby because we'll be in Florida for a week in September, and I'm hoping that anything I get him now will fit that bill.  Otherwise we're going to be doing a lot of laundry.  But I'd rather get stuff now that he can get some good wear out of, particularly before summer clothes start disappearing.  Hopefully by next year the larger six-month sizing interval (12-18 months) will work a little bit better with what we already have.

As I said, Saturday was busy.  Actually, the busyness started Friday night when I left the boys home with Craig and headed to Geneseo for a reunion of sorts.  During my college years I spent the vast majority of my time involved with Intervarsity Christian Fellowship.  My roommate found out about it, and we both got involved early in our second semester.  It turned out to be the best thing that could have happened to us, as we met a ton of awesome people.  We both rediscovered our faith in new ways, and it really made those 3-1/2 years more fulfilling than we ever could have imagined.  Well...it's now been over 16 years since that discovery, and over 13 years since we graduated.  There have been a couple reunions since, but this one was mostly to celebrate our college pastor, Dave, who is retiring.  He's got his reasons, and I am happy for him, but those kids won't know what they're missing without him.  He's an incredible man and was a second father to so many of us.  In the years since I graduated, I can't even tell you how much I've loved popping into Geneseo from time to time and seeing the look on his face when he sees me.  A couple years ago when I stopped into town to buy a baby shower gift for a good friend of mine, I randomly prayed on the way down that I'd love to somehow run into him while I was there, and sure enough...who do I see walking down Main St. but him!  The odds of it were slim, and yet...there he was.  Made my day.  Anyway, Friday night was a throwback to Friday nights of old, with the same kind of meeting we used to have...some music, a speaker, and lots of time to catch up with old friends.  It was nice to go without the kids (though they did have childcare, that just seemed like a battle I didn't want to fight) and just enjoy myself for a night.  Even though I catch up with everyone over Facebook nowadays, it was so nice to see them in person.

Saturday there was a picnic.  It meant another trip to Geneseo, and this one was with the kids.  Craig had to work up in Canada, so it was all me.  All things considered it went well.  Jacob was a little difficult at times and didn't want to be social with the other kids during craft time, but we survived.  I got more time to catch up with friends, the food was great, and it was generally a lot of fun. 

From there we headed back north and east to Victor, to visit with more friends.  I've blogged many times about our visits with my parents' friends' daughter Laurie and her son Colin, along with their more recent addition Kelly.  The last time we saw them Kelly was just a few months old...and now she's two!  I guess we've all just been a little busy in the interim when they've been in town!  We've kept up online, of course, but it's still amazing to realize how much time has passed.  Once upon a time we were both pregnant at the same time, and now not only do we both have two kids, but both of those first babies are on their way to Kindergarten.  We discovered during this visit that we possibly enjoyed their time together more when they ignored each other, as they were quite a handful this time.  I'm not sure who influenced who at which time, but they got into a lot of mischief, including throwing balls into trees and gardens, going too far out in the yard, and touching things they shouldn't have been.  They were both equally stubborn during dinner, as well, and finished off the visit purposely crash landing on the grass from riding scooters around the driveway.  BOYS!  I think they both felt like they had found a suitable partner-in-crime, or at least someone else to pin the blame on, so they just did whatever seemed like fun at that moment.  Oy.  Definitely easier when they just laid on a blanket and stared off into space!  Kelly is quite the adorable little girl, though she's definitely got some spunk!  I forgot how cute that phase is where they can talk just enough so you know what they're saying, and where it's cute when they say or repeat certain things, but before it turns into a constant stream of elaborate questions.  Those days will be here again for us soon enough, and I'm sure I'll remember the tougher side of that as well!  But despite the troublemaking, we had a nice visit.  Here's a shot of all four kids, three of which are enjoying their ice cream sandwiches...

Still, I was happy to get home after so many hours away, but I definitely felt like I accomplished something after surviving that long of a day away alone with both kids!

One other wacky thing from the past week was a freak storm that hit our area.  Last Thursday Craig called me while I was still at work.  He had gotten out of work early and was getting ready for t-ball.  He said, "I don't know what happened in Greece, but it's a mess."  There were trees down, a road closed, and branches everywhere.  There had barely been a rainshower in the city, but Greece got hit with a major thunderstorm, and our neighborhood in particular (particularly the road we take to our neighborhood) got hit with a microburst, leaving lots of tree damage in its wake.  The road to our neighborhood had a bunch of large trees down, and there was this view across the street and two doors down:

What you can't see is that there are actually two arms of that tree down, and they just brushed up against the house where they fell.  That tree is now gone, not surprisingly.  We had no damage, but it definitely feels a little too close for comfort.  We've had a series of bad storms, including quite the light show I drove home through on Friday night.  Seems everywhere from here to Canada has had some sort of damage lately.

Today we were back to the grind, another long day of work and t-ball.  Jacob finally got his game ball tonight!  He was due since everyone else had gotten one, but he tried hard tonight, the long-awaited first night of coach pitch.  He had a hard time with his coach's pitches (he's good with Craig's), but the swings looked nice even when they didn't connect.  Still, he was excited to get a game ball.   

 

Amidst all of the craziness, I have had this picture putting a smile on my face all week... 

 

Technically it's a reject from the five month shoot, because it wasn't set up at the right spot to compare to the others, but I love Carter's face in this one.  He's just so sweet, so happy, with such perfectly friendly eyes.  I have it as my wallpaper at work, and every time I flip back to it, I just marvel at how lovely it is.  I feel so lucky to have him.  I know we're still in the honeymoon phase and we'll no doubt have our challenges with him, too, but for now I am just loving having him around. 

Well, here we go with another week...

Five Months! (A Couple Days Late)

Hard to believe that Carter officially hit the five month mark a couple days ago!  I know he's getting bigger, and I know he's getting to be a more interactive little boy every day, but the fact that he's a month shy of halfway to a year sort of boggles my mind!  Here is his five month shot...

I've been trying to capture as many smiles as I can, because his smile makes me so happy every single time.  He is such a goof ball! 

I'm pretty sure teething has begun, since Carter is constantly trying to chew on things.  He's been a little fussy the last couple days, which might be his cold, but could also be teeth given the ferocity with which he attacks anything he can chew on.  His fingers, bibs, toys, or toes are all he needs...

I love how he sort of looks like, "Oh, hey, mom...I wasn't, like, sucking on this or anything..."

I caught this smiley face on the way back to the car after Monday's t-ball game.  He was finding the bumpy ride very funny...

When we got home, I finally managed to clean and assemble the Jumperoo, which has been sitting in our dining room for a few days.  Carter had tested things out in one at daycare that day, and really liked being the big boy in there.  He loved ours, too, and even got some bouncing in! 

 

Here's some video, though sorry it's so dark.  I just love his happy feet!

It's nice to have another way to entertain him, though we have to strategically avoid post-meal times!  He's been enjoying sitting in his high chair when we eat dinner, though, which has been helpful.  As good of a baby as he is, he likes attention and it's hard to leave him anywhere alone for too long!

He's just so cute, though, and I couldn't have asked for a sweeter baby.  I know we're probably heading into a tougher period once those teeth really start bothering him, but this has been a lovely time where he's happy and sleeping, so I really shouldn't complain!  Solid foods are just around the corner, too, which is going to be a whole new ballgame.  But his smiles and giggles will get me through no matter what...they always do!

The Reluctant Sports Mom

Most of the time I feel like I don't have enough time to do anything.  Every evening I barely have a chance to sit down until at least 9:30 unless I'm feeding Carter.  I cook dinner, clean up, wash bottles, and sort mail or do laundry.  Once I finally do sit and relax, I'm usually multitasking--catching up on TV, reading emails, blogging, cutting coupons, etc.  Before I know it I'm practically nodding off in my chair.  Weekends are a challenge as well, since Craig is often on the road and I'm juggling two kids and all of the stuff I didn't get done during the week.  Usually I try to fit in something fun, but sometimes "fun" is a quick dinner out somewhere in the middle of errand running.  Half the time we're off to Buffalo anyway, so even that catching up never happens, which puts me behind the 8-ball again when the new week begins. 

Now we have t-ball.  I've known this was coming, for many years, yet now that it's here I'm finding myself ill-prepared for all that it entails.  Craig has been great so far.  Since he's an assistant coach, he's totally on board with picking up Jacob, gathering his equipment, and bringing snacks and beverages when needed.  On game days I go pick up Carter and get to the field just as the game is starting.  But this is the setup two nights per week.  We're only a couple weeks in and I hate it already. 

Look, I love Jacob and certainly want to be supportive.  And I will be.  But even on the best of days I'm usually perplexed by what to make for dinner and I run around like a maniac once I get home.  Now I have to manage two days a week where we're not even home for dinner (plus the usual late dinner we have on Tuesdays when I work out) without turning us into fast food or concession stand regulars.  I try to limit how much we eat out--both for financial and dietary purposes--but I feel like this schedule is making it almost impossible.  We don't have a chance to eat beforehand (though Craig makes Jacob a PB&J before his games), and by the time we get home, it's Jacob's bedtime, then Carter's right after.  All of a sudden it's after 9:30, and when we're supposed to eat dinner in there is beyond me.  I either have to come up with a better plan for fast homemade dinners, or rely on takeout.  And before you launch into praises of the crockpot or premade casseroles, keep in mind I'm out of the house for 12 hours, which is too long for any crockpot meal, and any casserole is going to take 30 minutes to cook, which is too long when it's late and we're starving.  I can only plan for leftovers so well, and that still doesn't help the fact that Jacob might be eating PB&J twice a week (plus probably one other time over the weekend) for the rest of the summer.  I just feel stumped about what we should be eating and when.  I feel like with the right planning we could be fine, but I am at a loss for what those good ideas might be. 

Tonight's game was in 90 degree heat.  That weather would be tough no matter what, but it's extra challenging with Carter.  He doesn't like the heat, and when it's that sunny I'm hesitant to take him out of the stroller if I can't keep him completely shaded because he can't wear sunscreen yet.  Thursday's game will probably be more of the same.  I feel bad putting him through that, but I also hate the thought of missing a game because I want to be there for Jacob.  I'm torn between both kids...and I'm sure it won't be the last time that happens.

It's only going to get worse next year when his games are on Saturdays, which means we won't be able to go away for the weekend like we do now.  Now my Saturday mornings will be spent getting up bright and early and heading to the diamond.  I did that as a kid and don't really like the idea of it any better now.  By then Carter will be running around like a maniac, so I will definitely have my hands full.  And before we know it, both boys will be playing and I'm not sure what's worse--when their schedules conflict, or when they'll be opposite and we'll be spending every night at the field.  Oy.

I want to be supportive, I really do.  But right now I'm just not sure how to make this work.  I feel strained enough already, let alone with two nights of games.  The boys love it and I know this is just a fact of life, but until I start figuring out how to maintain a sense of normalcy in the middle of all of this, I'm not really going to like it.  Hopefully someday I'll have it all figured out and be an old pro at this, but for now, I definitely feel like a rookie.

First Game!

Jacob's first official t-ball game was Thursday night.  Ironically, it was a year to the day after our visit to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.  A year later, Jacob was starting his baseball career!  Fortunately the hot and humid weather we've had for a couple weeks had finally broken, so it was a nice, pleasant night in comparison...but still warm!  I rushed out of work, rushed to get Carter, and rushed to the game.  It had already started when I got there, but I think I saw Jacob's first at-bat...

Swing!  Sorry, there were a lot of people in the way!

Safe at first!  Of course, there are no outs...

Waiting on third to run home!

Scoring his first run!

The rules for this level of t-ball are a little crazy--four innings, everyone bats, no outs, only advance one base at a time, no keeping score.  It's all about learning the fundamentals and having fun.  He's got seven other teammates, all cute kids, and it's going to be an interesting season watching them learn.  One kid spends all evening crying, one girl is tougher than the boys, and the coach's son is just as distracted as Jacob can be, without the skills!  For all of his obsession with sports, Jacob can be terribly distracted.  I think at times he forgets that he has a lot to learn, and I think he's got his own agenda sometimes (what else is new?).  We knew that playing with teammates and any sort of structure would be a challenge for him after so many years of doing his own thing.  He liked the game a lot better than practice, though, and he did well.  His team was definitely better than the other team, at least. 

After the game we took a couple pictures...

And here's some video of his second at-bat.  It's hard to follow (sorry, lots of people in the way again and it was hard to see the ball in person because it was so sunny)...


It's going to be a long season since the rules make for a scattered ballgame, but like I said, watching the kids grow and learn will be fun.  The coach's son (who is adopted and has overcome some disabilities) and the kid who cries (we guess that he might have some social anxiety issues--poor kid) got the game balls.  Of course Jacob asked afterward why he didn't get one, but we told him those kids had the best game they could have had and he just needs to keep working hard if he wants to earn one.  That should give him something to work for. 

This could be the first game of many we'll have as sports parents, and I'll blog more about my feelings on that topic soon.  But for one night it was nice to see a "first", and it'll definitely be an adventure!