So, sometime in the last couple weeks, Jacob has started to come around on the big brother front. I'm not going to say he's totally loving the role yet, but he's at least slightly intrigued. I don't know if it's because he's maturing, he's figured out that Carter's not leaving, or if Carter is getting slightly more interesting, but slowly but surely something is changing.
As you may recall, Jacob barely acknowledged Carter's existence for the first few months. He'd ignore him, wouldn't touch him, and ignored our requests to even come look at him. He was cranky that I was never available, and gave me a hard time whenever I was ("I want Daddy!"). Then he moved into another phase where he'd say, "Car-ter!" in an annoyed tone if Carter was crying. I told him not to do that, but added that he definitely wasn't allowed to say that to his brother unless he was going to talk to him nicely at other times. He was also interested in his diaper changes ("Did he poop?"), but rarely hung around long enough to see one...and of course was all offended by the sights and smells when he did. But mostly he would make fun of him for pooping in a diaper and would refer to him as "Farter". Awesome. How we didn't catch that one, I don't know. But having a child that likes to rhyme has made things a little more challenging, and the "Banana-fanna-fo-fanna" song is now banned in our house because there are too many not-nice words that kept popping up (including that "fatty" comes up in the "Daddy" version--Craig did not appreciate that).
And now, while most of the time he's still unimpressed, he's gradually noticing his brother a bit more and willingly interacting with him. Carter still can't do much, but he can smile, watch, and grab on to things. He often watches Jacob intently. Perhaps the fact that Jacob's got another member of his audience has contributed to his slowly improving attitude. Sometimes Carter will smile when he's watching him. When Carter is crying, Jacob will ask why. Most of the time he asks if he's hungry, even if he's just eaten. The other day Craig, Carter, and Jacob were even playing with a ball a bit.
I've caught him talking to him a little, though it's hard to tell what he's saying. Sometimes he'll tell him not to cry (a little nicer than before) and sometimes he'll ask questions about him. Then yesterday, he asked me if he could feed Carter. Unfortunately, Carter was starving and it was right in the middle of Jacob's dinner so we couldn't do it right then, but I told him he definitely could feed him sometime. Fingers crossed he continues to be interested! This morning he also asked me a cute question, about why Carter doesn't bring stuffed animals with him to daycare. I explained that Carter doesn't need them just yet!
It's definitely been a subtle shift, and he still has moments where he couldn't be less interested, but I'm hopeful that as Carter continues to grow and become more interactive, Jacob will get even better. I suspect that the greatest joy of having two kids is watching them interact with each other, but we really haven't had that opportunity yet--at least not without the concern of Jacob acting out in the process--but the brief glimpses I've seen thus far have been really promising and I can't wait for more.
In other news, Carter gave me the best laughs tonight. All of a sudden his little snickers turned into real laughs! He did it a bunch of times, and it was great! He's been doing little laughs for a bit now, where you could tell he was laughing but it wasn't a fully formed giggle, but this was a real laugh! He had a giant smile with those round cheeks, and just belted them out! It was awesome to hear and see. He is just so cute. Oh, and in case you're wondering, he's pretty much on the same timeline Jacob was for that. Jacob's first laugh came about a week before he turned four months, and that's just about where Carter is now. Of course, Jacob has a big one up on Carter at this point, because Jacob flipped from his belly to his back at that same time. I'm not in a rush yet for flipping since it means he can move around a bit, but it will be interesting to see when he starts. I did take Carter out of his swaddle tonight because I wanted to wash the two he still fits in. He's been wrestling out a lot anyway lately, so I figured it was worth a try. Since the sleep sacks I have are a little more wintry than our current weather, I'm trying a gown we were gifted. Hopefully it'll still help him feel nice and cozy. He did down an extra ounce at bedtime too, so with any luck he'll sleep well regardless.
Just about bedtime, but I still have a couple things to finish up first...not enough hours in the day....ever.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Friday, May 31, 2013
Let the Comparisons Begin...
One of my biggest worries about having a second boy was the inevitable comparisons. When you have kids of different genders, it's a little easier to not assume that your kids will be similar. But when you have two of the same, I think the default assumption is that things may progress the same. For example, I can't imagine that Carter won't be obsessed with sports after spending his first few years idolizing his sports-crazed big brother. I know that every child is different, but genes are funny things so it wouldn't surprise me if the boys end up with either a lot of similarities or that they're polar opposites. Already everyone wonders if the boys look alike. For the record, they make certain faces that look similar but I don't think that they look as much alike as I expected.
The other day I was looking through pictures of Jacob at the age Carter is now. I was surprised to notice that Jacob was fully pushing himself up on his arms when he was on his belly.
While Carter's head and neck control are way better than they used to be, tummy time still isn't his favorite thing. He can barely lift up his head or get his arms under him. He does kick his legs like crazy, though, and tries to get them under himself, almost like he's trying to crawl. I'll definitely give Carter an extra week and a half since he was a week and a half earlier than Jacob was, but I was really surprised at the difference. Carter is certainly strong and I don't think there should be any concern about him physically, but it's hard not to think about where Jacob was at this point and wonder if there's any significance. Sometimes I think Carter is way chattier than Jacob was at this age, because I feel like I was always concerned about how many noises Jacob was making in comparison to what the articles I read were saying he should be doing. But maybe I was just way more neurotic about things back then, and perhaps I am totally wrong about who "talked" more. But it wouldn't surprise me if I was right and it was just an early sign of the differences between the boys.
I guess this is why it is so fascinating to have a second (or third or fourth) child, because you never really know what you're going to get. That can also be super scary, but it is fascinating to watch your kids grow up, and I'm finding it much more interesting this time around, now that I have some perspective on the experience. Being able to look back at pictures and then look at the big boy we have now, it's amazing to see the progression and realize a) how fast it all happens; b) how much he's changed; and c) how the baby version of Jacob has little hints of the big boy that was to come. I can't wait to see how Carter goes through that same progression, but then again, I am really enjoying this stage right now. I am savoring having a child that doesn't talk back, doesn't disobey, and willingly gives me giant smiles on a regular basis. But I know how fun it is to watch your child grow, change, and learn. I can't wait for Carter to play with toys, sit up, and experience his first Christmas. I look forward to watching him learn to crawl, smash his first birthday cake, take his first steps, and to finally hear what's running through that mind of his. The older he gets, the more eager I am to get to know him better. Of course, I also know that the sweet little baby in Jacob's old pictures can turn into a difficult, frustrating child five years later, so I'm not rushing things, but I guess that's the beauty of having a second child: the chance to do it better the second time around.
How that goes remains to be seen, but I definitely find this blog and my treasure trove of photos to be an interesting reference, and--for better of for worse--fodder for comparisons for years to come. Sorry, Carter. But it's going to be an interesting ride.
In the meantime, check out these pictures of Jacob from right around the same period as the picture above. He's maybe a week older than Carter is now. I just love the sweet smirk on Jacob's face in the first picture, and I adore the second one where it looks like Craig and Jacob are having an intense conversation...
Amazing, isn't it? How is that baby turning five in three weeks? Sigh.
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Battle of the Bulge
My gym instructor was right.
Five years ago, when I was pregnant with Jacob and still going to my class at the gym, I had expressed concern about getting back in pre-pregnancy shape after the baby was born. The instructor told me that I'd snap right back into shape after the first one. It was the second baby I should worry about. Turns out, she was right.
Maybe I'm just being too hard on myself, but I feel like things are different this time. Last time I had a great ego boost a couple months postpartum when I was in my friend's wedding. The dress looked fantastic on me and hid every problem area, and no one could believe I had a baby a couple months earlier.
This time I was getting a ton of compliments for the first month or so. Indeed, I did lose a lot of weight rather quickly. Things weren't necessarily fitting, mind you, but given the amount of time that had passed it was perfectly acceptable and I was happy with how things were progressing. And then I stopped breastfeeding. And for the last two months, it seems like I've been at a stand-still. I thought that getting back in the gym would help, but I only work out once or twice a week. I'm still trying to relearn good eating habits since I spent nine months plus six weeks eating what I wanted, and I expected I'd have another year to continue that trend. But no...my 300-500 extra calories per day evaporated with Carter's cow's milk protein intolerance, and I think my body and mind are still in shock that I can't eat whatever I want whenever I want. I shouldn't cheat. One snack per evening is enough. Second helpings at dinner should be avoided. The collection of sweets and cookies on my counter probably shouldn't be there, but if I'm having a craving I need something or else I'll go nuts eating other things trying to satisfy the craving. It's so hard to not eat.
On top of that, I'm also fighting whatever weight birth control tends to keep on, but I don't have much of a choice there at this point because the pill keeps my borderline-polycystic ovary syndrome in check. It's hard to know for sure, but I think birth control has always kept a few extra pounds on me.
I'm only up about five pounds, but I know nothing is quite where it used to be. I can button up most of my jeans, but I have a terrible muffin top and I'm pretty sure everything is tighter in the hips. I have a belly, particularly above my belly button, that won't go away. I can try to suck it in, which works to some degree, but I'm finding it very difficult to remember to suck it in. I guess I'm just out of practice, so it's hard to remember to do it all the time. In some of my clothes I look nearly normal, but there are plenty of others that I can't go anywhere near. Oh, and my chest has shrunken down, as well, which sort of makes the rest of me look proportionately thicker than I used to. I tried on some dresses tonight and couldn't believe how bad they made me look.
While looking at myself minus clothes is not my favorite thing in the world, it's really just an issue because my clothes don't fit. So many of them are too tight or too short for the belly, so it's limiting what I can wear. I'm stuck in a weird spot where I don't want to go out and buy new clothes because there's a chance things will settle a bit in the next few months, but where it stinks right now because nothing fits. I don't want to buy stuff that might be big in a few months, but I also don't want to deceive myself into thinking that it will go away, only to be disappointed and realize I spent months without a functional wardrobe hoping for something that was never going to happen. For example, after my pregnancy experience with skinny jeans, I'd love to try again to get a pair. But I can't do it now because I'm heavier than I want to be. But what happens if I wait months and I'm still no thinner...what then?
I know that they say, "Nine months on, nine months off," but breastfeeding spoiled me last time and it's bugging me to not know how much of this is permanent vs. temporary body change. I know that I exchanged my old body for the greatest little boy I could ask for, and that's fine. I just want to fit in some clothes in the meantime.
Five years ago, when I was pregnant with Jacob and still going to my class at the gym, I had expressed concern about getting back in pre-pregnancy shape after the baby was born. The instructor told me that I'd snap right back into shape after the first one. It was the second baby I should worry about. Turns out, she was right.
Maybe I'm just being too hard on myself, but I feel like things are different this time. Last time I had a great ego boost a couple months postpartum when I was in my friend's wedding. The dress looked fantastic on me and hid every problem area, and no one could believe I had a baby a couple months earlier.
This time I was getting a ton of compliments for the first month or so. Indeed, I did lose a lot of weight rather quickly. Things weren't necessarily fitting, mind you, but given the amount of time that had passed it was perfectly acceptable and I was happy with how things were progressing. And then I stopped breastfeeding. And for the last two months, it seems like I've been at a stand-still. I thought that getting back in the gym would help, but I only work out once or twice a week. I'm still trying to relearn good eating habits since I spent nine months plus six weeks eating what I wanted, and I expected I'd have another year to continue that trend. But no...my 300-500 extra calories per day evaporated with Carter's cow's milk protein intolerance, and I think my body and mind are still in shock that I can't eat whatever I want whenever I want. I shouldn't cheat. One snack per evening is enough. Second helpings at dinner should be avoided. The collection of sweets and cookies on my counter probably shouldn't be there, but if I'm having a craving I need something or else I'll go nuts eating other things trying to satisfy the craving. It's so hard to not eat.
On top of that, I'm also fighting whatever weight birth control tends to keep on, but I don't have much of a choice there at this point because the pill keeps my borderline-polycystic ovary syndrome in check. It's hard to know for sure, but I think birth control has always kept a few extra pounds on me.
I'm only up about five pounds, but I know nothing is quite where it used to be. I can button up most of my jeans, but I have a terrible muffin top and I'm pretty sure everything is tighter in the hips. I have a belly, particularly above my belly button, that won't go away. I can try to suck it in, which works to some degree, but I'm finding it very difficult to remember to suck it in. I guess I'm just out of practice, so it's hard to remember to do it all the time. In some of my clothes I look nearly normal, but there are plenty of others that I can't go anywhere near. Oh, and my chest has shrunken down, as well, which sort of makes the rest of me look proportionately thicker than I used to. I tried on some dresses tonight and couldn't believe how bad they made me look.
While looking at myself minus clothes is not my favorite thing in the world, it's really just an issue because my clothes don't fit. So many of them are too tight or too short for the belly, so it's limiting what I can wear. I'm stuck in a weird spot where I don't want to go out and buy new clothes because there's a chance things will settle a bit in the next few months, but where it stinks right now because nothing fits. I don't want to buy stuff that might be big in a few months, but I also don't want to deceive myself into thinking that it will go away, only to be disappointed and realize I spent months without a functional wardrobe hoping for something that was never going to happen. For example, after my pregnancy experience with skinny jeans, I'd love to try again to get a pair. But I can't do it now because I'm heavier than I want to be. But what happens if I wait months and I'm still no thinner...what then?
I know that they say, "Nine months on, nine months off," but breastfeeding spoiled me last time and it's bugging me to not know how much of this is permanent vs. temporary body change. I know that I exchanged my old body for the greatest little boy I could ask for, and that's fine. I just want to fit in some clothes in the meantime.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Four-Day Weekend
I spent pretty much the entire month of May looking forward to Memorial Day weekend, knowing it was a four-day weekend for us. Nothing is better than extended time off, and ours would be capped with a trip to Toronto for a baseball game. While the weekend as a whole was fine, the final day was a bit challenging and in the end the weekend felt more exhausting than enjoyable. Bummer. But there were good parts...
Friday night I spent the entire night just trying to get packed up for the weekend. Four days away is a lot with two kids and one car, so it's a tough balance to make sure you've packed enough without overpacking. Saturday morning I finished packing the last minute stuff and whipped up some food to take to family party #1 of the day, a Memorial Day picnic at my aunt and uncle's house here in Rochester. We could only stay for a couple hours, but it was great to see my family, including some we hadn't seen in a while. It's always fun to share Carter and give everyone their baby fix!
We headed out by about 3pm and made the drive to Craig's family's neck of the woods for our nephew's birthday party. I can't believe he's seven, since I vividly remember going to visit them in the hospital. But here we are, seven years and multiple kids later (two of my own, and one more in their family). Like Jacob, both of his immediate older cousins are into Legos. Here was the easy but creative cake decoration...
Saturday was a very long day and we were all pretty eager to get to bed. Sleeping four people in one room wasn't particularly fun, especially since Carter still has a nasty cough. He woke up a couple times, as did Jacob, but all things considered it wasn't as bad as it could have been. I was up half the night, mind you, but at least it wasn't with a screaming baby the whole time. It was just my inability to block out everything, with a side of crying baby.
The next morning we got up and headed out to our niece's softball tournament. We got there in time to see them completely destroy the other team to make it to the final. I got this picture of Jacob and his big cousin Walt (who had a game later in the day) watching the game...
It was a cool morning, but it was sunny, which presented a tough situation as far as Carter was concerned. I had to either leave him in his seat, or bring him out and cover him up completely since he's still too young for sunscreen and it was awfully chilly out. He was super cranky in between a couple short naps, and eventually I just had to leave the boys there and head back to the house. We both took a nice, long nap. He woke up a happier baby, for sure...
Jacob, however, was being difficult, and eventually we decided we were going to head to my parents' house on Sunday night. We figured it would be easier than having to wake up, pack up, and head out Monday morning, effectively killing half the day, so we took off a little before bedtime and got there in time to get both boys ready for bed and relax a bit ourselves.
Monday morning I got in a run, and at lunchtime we headed over to my aunt and uncle's, where my parents were helping get my uncle's garden up and running, since his health has prevented him from doing it himself. It was a lovely day, and we stopped at a ball diamond to get Jacob some practice, since he asks for it constantly. This diamond was across a field from the playground (and public pool) of my youth, though the pool is gone and the playground is a shadow of its former self. Still, Jacob loved his time on the field...
We had taken Tuesday off to complete our four-day weekend because we had free tickets to see the Atlanta Braves play the Toronto Blue Jays up in Toronto. Carter stayed with my parents for the day, which ended up being an even better move than I had imagined it would be. It ended up being a very long, very trying day. It started out well enough, I guess.
Jacob had never been to a Jays game and we hadn't been there since a horrible, 90-degree game we went to years ago, when we were beyond annoyed by the fact that they opened the dome. We also thought they had a weird policy that strands 500-Level ticketholders up top, but based on what I saw yesterday, perhaps we just kept ending up in the wrong spot last time. We were able to freely walk this time, so regardless, it's not an issue now. The weather ended up being yucky--50s and rainy--which meant that random walking would be kept to a minimum, but the dome stayed closed and climate-controlled, which is not a bad thing. Our seats were really high up, but I still think we had a good view. I'd rather be high up than have a head blocking my view of the plate.
Early on during the game, Jacob was BRUTAL. We were ready to get up and come back home. He was freaking out about the littlest things, and just being generally cranky. I don't know if it was a sleep thing, a blood sugar thing, or just his normal behavior coming out at a really inopportune time, but I'm really starting to think that maybe we need to get him evaluated before Kindergarten, just to see if there's anything we can do to help him through his unnecessary freak-outs. As an example, he was complaining his ear hurt. He was freaking out about it, yelling and everything. We thought it might have something to do with some sunburn he got on Sunday, so Craig suggested putting cream on it. I didn't have my normal lotion, but I did have sunscreen, so I went to put it on. When I rubbed it in, he yelled at me that I hurt him, and said I did it on purpose. More yelling. Basically, I can't win. If I don't put it on, I'm not helping him, and if I do put it on, I'm hurting him. He was overreacting by a long shot, and it's moments like that where we're at a loss.
After we ate he seemed to get better, though he never really looked like he was having fun. Even here, he's so serious...
Later in the game we got up to walk around the main concourse, and we stopped near the end of the game near the Braves bullpen, with a nice view of the outfield.
A nice woman offered to take our picture, which was great, even if Jacob wasn't particularly smiley...
The Braves ended up winning in 10 innings, which was great, but it did put us a little behind. On top of that, we had a walk back to our car and we wanted to stop in the Leafs/Raptors store, which was in the same building we parked in. Jacob ended up with a stuffed Raptor, which is an early birthday gift. He loves it, but the last thing he needed was another animal! Unfortunately, we then ended up getting stuck in the parking ramp for over an hour! We're still not sure why, but it seemed to be a combination of the end of game traffic, the beginning of rush hour traffic, and possibly some issue with the ticket machine getting out of the ramp. It was awful. Because of that and the delay putting us right in the middle of rush hour traffic, we couldn't stop at IKEA on the way back for some very specific browsing, nor could we stop for any sort of decent dinner. The trip back was rainy and miserable. Jacob fell asleep, which meant he was up extra late. We got back at an awkward time for Carter's bedtime routine, but fortunately we managed and got home around 11pm. It made for a very long day.
Had I known how the day would go, I might have opted to save that vacation day or take it and do things at home. It would have been a heck of a lot less frustrating and far more productive. But we couldn't really predict all the issues we'd have, and we did have a couple good hours in there. But it was disappointing. And now I'm more tired and farther behind than I was before. It's a bummer when something like that doesn't seem worth it--and it doesn't happen often--but what can you do?
Summer is now upon us and Jacob's birthday is just a few weeks away. He graduates preschool next Friday. Carter is getting bigger by the day, making lots of cute noises, starting to laugh, and melting hearts at every turn. Time is just flying by! I feel like I'm too busy to truly appreciate it, but at least this time around I'm aware that I'm too busy to appreciate it. I think last time I was too preoccupied with everything to notice, but this time I know and I'm doing my best to savor whatever moments I can. At least I only have a three-day week now and only have to make it a couple more days before I get quality time with the boys again...but I'm on my own for the weekend, so wish me luck!
Friday night I spent the entire night just trying to get packed up for the weekend. Four days away is a lot with two kids and one car, so it's a tough balance to make sure you've packed enough without overpacking. Saturday morning I finished packing the last minute stuff and whipped up some food to take to family party #1 of the day, a Memorial Day picnic at my aunt and uncle's house here in Rochester. We could only stay for a couple hours, but it was great to see my family, including some we hadn't seen in a while. It's always fun to share Carter and give everyone their baby fix!
We headed out by about 3pm and made the drive to Craig's family's neck of the woods for our nephew's birthday party. I can't believe he's seven, since I vividly remember going to visit them in the hospital. But here we are, seven years and multiple kids later (two of my own, and one more in their family). Like Jacob, both of his immediate older cousins are into Legos. Here was the easy but creative cake decoration...
 |
| Yes, those are Lego minifigures holding "Happy Birthday" candles! |
As usual, Jacob spent the day wanting to play baseball outside with his cousins (and Daddy, too, of course). Even though he was being difficult when I was trying to take this picture, I still like how it turned out...
Saturday was a very long day and we were all pretty eager to get to bed. Sleeping four people in one room wasn't particularly fun, especially since Carter still has a nasty cough. He woke up a couple times, as did Jacob, but all things considered it wasn't as bad as it could have been. I was up half the night, mind you, but at least it wasn't with a screaming baby the whole time. It was just my inability to block out everything, with a side of crying baby.
The next morning we got up and headed out to our niece's softball tournament. We got there in time to see them completely destroy the other team to make it to the final. I got this picture of Jacob and his big cousin Walt (who had a game later in the day) watching the game...
It was a cool morning, but it was sunny, which presented a tough situation as far as Carter was concerned. I had to either leave him in his seat, or bring him out and cover him up completely since he's still too young for sunscreen and it was awfully chilly out. He was super cranky in between a couple short naps, and eventually I just had to leave the boys there and head back to the house. We both took a nice, long nap. He woke up a happier baby, for sure...
Jacob, however, was being difficult, and eventually we decided we were going to head to my parents' house on Sunday night. We figured it would be easier than having to wake up, pack up, and head out Monday morning, effectively killing half the day, so we took off a little before bedtime and got there in time to get both boys ready for bed and relax a bit ourselves.
Monday morning I got in a run, and at lunchtime we headed over to my aunt and uncle's, where my parents were helping get my uncle's garden up and running, since his health has prevented him from doing it himself. It was a lovely day, and we stopped at a ball diamond to get Jacob some practice, since he asks for it constantly. This diamond was across a field from the playground (and public pool) of my youth, though the pool is gone and the playground is a shadow of its former self. Still, Jacob loved his time on the field...
We had taken Tuesday off to complete our four-day weekend because we had free tickets to see the Atlanta Braves play the Toronto Blue Jays up in Toronto. Carter stayed with my parents for the day, which ended up being an even better move than I had imagined it would be. It ended up being a very long, very trying day. It started out well enough, I guess.
Jacob had never been to a Jays game and we hadn't been there since a horrible, 90-degree game we went to years ago, when we were beyond annoyed by the fact that they opened the dome. We also thought they had a weird policy that strands 500-Level ticketholders up top, but based on what I saw yesterday, perhaps we just kept ending up in the wrong spot last time. We were able to freely walk this time, so regardless, it's not an issue now. The weather ended up being yucky--50s and rainy--which meant that random walking would be kept to a minimum, but the dome stayed closed and climate-controlled, which is not a bad thing. Our seats were really high up, but I still think we had a good view. I'd rather be high up than have a head blocking my view of the plate.
Early on during the game, Jacob was BRUTAL. We were ready to get up and come back home. He was freaking out about the littlest things, and just being generally cranky. I don't know if it was a sleep thing, a blood sugar thing, or just his normal behavior coming out at a really inopportune time, but I'm really starting to think that maybe we need to get him evaluated before Kindergarten, just to see if there's anything we can do to help him through his unnecessary freak-outs. As an example, he was complaining his ear hurt. He was freaking out about it, yelling and everything. We thought it might have something to do with some sunburn he got on Sunday, so Craig suggested putting cream on it. I didn't have my normal lotion, but I did have sunscreen, so I went to put it on. When I rubbed it in, he yelled at me that I hurt him, and said I did it on purpose. More yelling. Basically, I can't win. If I don't put it on, I'm not helping him, and if I do put it on, I'm hurting him. He was overreacting by a long shot, and it's moments like that where we're at a loss.
After we ate he seemed to get better, though he never really looked like he was having fun. Even here, he's so serious...
Later in the game we got up to walk around the main concourse, and we stopped near the end of the game near the Braves bullpen, with a nice view of the outfield.
A nice woman offered to take our picture, which was great, even if Jacob wasn't particularly smiley...
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| I do like the picture, but it feels a little incomplete without Carter, you know? |
Had I known how the day would go, I might have opted to save that vacation day or take it and do things at home. It would have been a heck of a lot less frustrating and far more productive. But we couldn't really predict all the issues we'd have, and we did have a couple good hours in there. But it was disappointing. And now I'm more tired and farther behind than I was before. It's a bummer when something like that doesn't seem worth it--and it doesn't happen often--but what can you do?
Summer is now upon us and Jacob's birthday is just a few weeks away. He graduates preschool next Friday. Carter is getting bigger by the day, making lots of cute noises, starting to laugh, and melting hearts at every turn. Time is just flying by! I feel like I'm too busy to truly appreciate it, but at least this time around I'm aware that I'm too busy to appreciate it. I think last time I was too preoccupied with everything to notice, but this time I know and I'm doing my best to savor whatever moments I can. At least I only have a three-day week now and only have to make it a couple more days before I get quality time with the boys again...but I'm on my own for the weekend, so wish me luck!
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Sad and Happy
Three things that made me sad this week:
1) A colleague of Craig's who works for another team lost his four-year-old son last week, suddenly. We don't know what happened beyond that it happened when they were traveling back from a trip, but by all accounts he seemed healthy prior. It's absolutely heartbreaking, and as parents of a four-year-old ourselves, not knowing what happened is sort of driving us nuts. It's almost like we need to know what unknown threat to four-year-olds might be floating around out there. I just can't imagine a lively four-year-old being silenced out of the blue like that. So sad.
2) I saw a story this week about a little boy with an affliction that doesn't allow him to smile. It's a neurological condition that impacts the muscles in the face, and as a result, he cannot form a smile. He's a year old now, and while there's a surgery that helps correct it, he can't have it until he's five. His parents can tell if he's happy by the sounds he makes and by the look in his eyes, but it must be so heartbreaking to never have seen your child look truly happy. On the surface it sounds so sad, but when you really think about it, it's so horrible. I think how happy it made me to have Carter start smiling, and how happy it makes me each time he smiles. I can't imagine living without that. To never have a picture of your child looking happy, to never get that validation of their joy, to know that you have five years of that before a surgery could fix it...ugh. The parents seem to have a great attitude about it, but what a sad problem to be born with.
3) Carter is sick. He's got a cold of some sort, and the cough is absolutely horrible. He started last weekend with congestion and a slight runny nose. He seemed better on his Christening day, but by the time I got home Tuesday night (more on that in a bit), his cough had taken a turn for the worse and sounded so horrible. It's continued since, and pains me every time it happens. I called the doctor who said that if his fever stayed low (it never went above 100), there was no need to bring him in. There probably isn't much they can do for him if it's just a cold anyway. I worry that maybe it'll cause him some respiratory problems, so if the cough keeps up or we notice any serious wheezing, we'll have to get him in. If it was RSV or something, it could probably stick around for a while, which will be sad. We did that with Jacob when he was two months old and got bronchiolitis. He had a cough for nine months, made worse by acid reflux. I'm hoping we don't have to deal with that with Carter. Once was tough enough.
On the flip side, here are three things that made me happy:
1) I taught Jacob how to play "War" this week. I got a deck of cards from work (swag from a publisher) and brought it home. I showed Jacob a card trick that my grandpa taught me years ago--possibly 20 years ago!--then had the brainstorm to teach him "War". He knows his numbers and it was an easy game to play with Carter on my lap, so off we went. He loved it! We played again the next night, and then he played with Craig last night and his cousin Anna today. It was so cute how much he enjoyed it. I love being able to engage him like that, which doesn't happen often with me. Such a simple thing!
2) I ran the Corporate Challenge this past Tuesday, and did it pretty well. It was my goal to run it after Carter was born, but I only had a month and a half to get ready for it once I was cleared to work out. I didn't quite get to train for it like I did last year when my goal was to run it in 30 minutes, but I got a few runs in and they went pretty well considering how much time I had taken off. This time around my goal was initially just to run it, then to run it in a respectable time (say, less than 35 minutes, which would be a 10 minute mile). I was averaging a little better than that, so I was hopeful. I ran with the girl who runs the gym and who teaches my Tuesday class. We were nervous about it because it was a very hot day and there was a threat of rain. The heat was a major concern, but fortunately as we were lining up a cool breeze began. It was still hot, but it was better. We managed to finish (my time was 32:25, somewhere just above a nine minute mile pace) and enjoy some snacks before we looked in the distance and noticed very dark clouds rolling in. People consulted their phones and there was a big blob on the radar so we packed up quickly. We hopped in the truck to go back to our cars just as it really started to rain. It absolutely poured but we avoided the worst of it. It felt great to finish the race, particularly since running in heat is not my forte and I just had a baby three months ago. It was a nice accomplishment and a fun night out for mama. Of course, I came back to two awake kids, including one sick baby. Craig wasn't feeling good either, so everything was in a little bit of chaos. I guess that's why I don't go out a lot! But it was a fun night regardless.
3) We had a good day today. We got to do two family parties--one in Rochester with my family for Memorial Day, and another with Craig's family in Buffalo for our nephew's birthday. It was fun to see everyone and give everyone their dose of Carter. He's still tiny enough that everyone loves holding him, and his smiles are a big hit. We ate a lot of great food and enjoyed so much good company. It was a very full day and I really should be in bed right now, but it's nice to have a few minutes to look back on the week. We have a busy rest of our long weekend ahead, including a trip to Toronto (minus Carter, who's hanging with my parents) to see the Braves play the Blue Jays. While I have a million things I'd love to be doing at home, I also love weekends like this that are full of family time and a little adventure. It should be a lot of fun.
Bonus random side note: On the list of things to be thankful for is that I wasn't in Seattle two weeks later than I was. Did you see the news story on Thursday night/Friday morning about the bridge that collapsed along I-5 outside Seattle? I crossed that bridge twice when I was there two weeks ago. I remember it vividly because it was a relatively low clearance bridge with a unique squared-off steel structure. I'd never seen anything like it, so it definitely stood out in my mind. Apparently an oversized load truck hit it somehow and it collapsed into a river. No one was killed but a couple cars did go into the river and a few people were injured. It happened one day shy of two weeks after I crossed it, almost to the hour. How scary! Perhaps it's something like that that worried me about taking a trip like that...something random and unexpected. Thankfully I came out unscathed and the trip went nearly as well as it possibly could have. I certainly appreciate the adventure I had and have been enjoying my memories (and pictures) ever since. As a mom I'm glad I did it...because those opportunities are few and far between, and if you don't take them when you have the chance, you end up resenting your situation later on. A little adventure can go a long way toward a happy mama!
1) A colleague of Craig's who works for another team lost his four-year-old son last week, suddenly. We don't know what happened beyond that it happened when they were traveling back from a trip, but by all accounts he seemed healthy prior. It's absolutely heartbreaking, and as parents of a four-year-old ourselves, not knowing what happened is sort of driving us nuts. It's almost like we need to know what unknown threat to four-year-olds might be floating around out there. I just can't imagine a lively four-year-old being silenced out of the blue like that. So sad.
2) I saw a story this week about a little boy with an affliction that doesn't allow him to smile. It's a neurological condition that impacts the muscles in the face, and as a result, he cannot form a smile. He's a year old now, and while there's a surgery that helps correct it, he can't have it until he's five. His parents can tell if he's happy by the sounds he makes and by the look in his eyes, but it must be so heartbreaking to never have seen your child look truly happy. On the surface it sounds so sad, but when you really think about it, it's so horrible. I think how happy it made me to have Carter start smiling, and how happy it makes me each time he smiles. I can't imagine living without that. To never have a picture of your child looking happy, to never get that validation of their joy, to know that you have five years of that before a surgery could fix it...ugh. The parents seem to have a great attitude about it, but what a sad problem to be born with.
3) Carter is sick. He's got a cold of some sort, and the cough is absolutely horrible. He started last weekend with congestion and a slight runny nose. He seemed better on his Christening day, but by the time I got home Tuesday night (more on that in a bit), his cough had taken a turn for the worse and sounded so horrible. It's continued since, and pains me every time it happens. I called the doctor who said that if his fever stayed low (it never went above 100), there was no need to bring him in. There probably isn't much they can do for him if it's just a cold anyway. I worry that maybe it'll cause him some respiratory problems, so if the cough keeps up or we notice any serious wheezing, we'll have to get him in. If it was RSV or something, it could probably stick around for a while, which will be sad. We did that with Jacob when he was two months old and got bronchiolitis. He had a cough for nine months, made worse by acid reflux. I'm hoping we don't have to deal with that with Carter. Once was tough enough.
On the flip side, here are three things that made me happy:
1) I taught Jacob how to play "War" this week. I got a deck of cards from work (swag from a publisher) and brought it home. I showed Jacob a card trick that my grandpa taught me years ago--possibly 20 years ago!--then had the brainstorm to teach him "War". He knows his numbers and it was an easy game to play with Carter on my lap, so off we went. He loved it! We played again the next night, and then he played with Craig last night and his cousin Anna today. It was so cute how much he enjoyed it. I love being able to engage him like that, which doesn't happen often with me. Such a simple thing!
2) I ran the Corporate Challenge this past Tuesday, and did it pretty well. It was my goal to run it after Carter was born, but I only had a month and a half to get ready for it once I was cleared to work out. I didn't quite get to train for it like I did last year when my goal was to run it in 30 minutes, but I got a few runs in and they went pretty well considering how much time I had taken off. This time around my goal was initially just to run it, then to run it in a respectable time (say, less than 35 minutes, which would be a 10 minute mile). I was averaging a little better than that, so I was hopeful. I ran with the girl who runs the gym and who teaches my Tuesday class. We were nervous about it because it was a very hot day and there was a threat of rain. The heat was a major concern, but fortunately as we were lining up a cool breeze began. It was still hot, but it was better. We managed to finish (my time was 32:25, somewhere just above a nine minute mile pace) and enjoy some snacks before we looked in the distance and noticed very dark clouds rolling in. People consulted their phones and there was a big blob on the radar so we packed up quickly. We hopped in the truck to go back to our cars just as it really started to rain. It absolutely poured but we avoided the worst of it. It felt great to finish the race, particularly since running in heat is not my forte and I just had a baby three months ago. It was a nice accomplishment and a fun night out for mama. Of course, I came back to two awake kids, including one sick baby. Craig wasn't feeling good either, so everything was in a little bit of chaos. I guess that's why I don't go out a lot! But it was a fun night regardless.
3) We had a good day today. We got to do two family parties--one in Rochester with my family for Memorial Day, and another with Craig's family in Buffalo for our nephew's birthday. It was fun to see everyone and give everyone their dose of Carter. He's still tiny enough that everyone loves holding him, and his smiles are a big hit. We ate a lot of great food and enjoyed so much good company. It was a very full day and I really should be in bed right now, but it's nice to have a few minutes to look back on the week. We have a busy rest of our long weekend ahead, including a trip to Toronto (minus Carter, who's hanging with my parents) to see the Braves play the Blue Jays. While I have a million things I'd love to be doing at home, I also love weekends like this that are full of family time and a little adventure. It should be a lot of fun.
Bonus random side note: On the list of things to be thankful for is that I wasn't in Seattle two weeks later than I was. Did you see the news story on Thursday night/Friday morning about the bridge that collapsed along I-5 outside Seattle? I crossed that bridge twice when I was there two weeks ago. I remember it vividly because it was a relatively low clearance bridge with a unique squared-off steel structure. I'd never seen anything like it, so it definitely stood out in my mind. Apparently an oversized load truck hit it somehow and it collapsed into a river. No one was killed but a couple cars did go into the river and a few people were injured. It happened one day shy of two weeks after I crossed it, almost to the hour. How scary! Perhaps it's something like that that worried me about taking a trip like that...something random and unexpected. Thankfully I came out unscathed and the trip went nearly as well as it possibly could have. I certainly appreciate the adventure I had and have been enjoying my memories (and pictures) ever since. As a mom I'm glad I did it...because those opportunities are few and far between, and if you don't take them when you have the chance, you end up resenting your situation later on. A little adventure can go a long way toward a happy mama!
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
I can't even...
I mentioned last month that all of the horrible things that had been going on in the world--namely the Boston Marathon bombings and the fertilizer factory explosion in Texas last month, and the Newtown shooting back in December--really made me appreciate all of our blessings and reminded me not to take any moment for granted. Yesterday a tornado hit just outside of Oklahoma City. The storm was particularly devastating because it scored a direct hit on two schools, pretty much completely destroying at least one. So far they're reporting twenty kids have died.
Newtown was horrific for so many reasons. It was such a random, senseless act. It involved very young children. It was so incredibly violent. Those parents sent their kids off to seemingly the safest place for them, and they ended up dead. Everything about it was simply shocking. But it was such an isolated, random occurrence. On one hand the randomness was comforting because you knew that the odds of it happening to you were slim...but on the other hand it was a reminder than random things can happen to anyone at any time.
Yesterday's tornado was equally devastating but yet so different. I want to say it was more relatable, if nothing else. While we don't get tornadoes too often around here, it's not impossible. Having something like that happen around here may be about the same odds as a gunman walking into the specific school that your kids attend, but I'd have to say that because it was a natural disaster, it feels a little more relatable because something else could happen that would involve destruction along those lines--a fire, explosion, or storm. It just seems more plausible than a gunman, you know? In addition, the damage there obviously went beyond the bounds of the school--the whole community was destroyed. It just makes you think about how you'd manage if you were in a situation like that. I think I'd fail miserably, by the way, but it makes you think long and hard nonetheless.
There are two things about this disaster that keep nagging at me. First, of course, is that those kids were at school when it happened. Again, you think of school as a safe place, and those kids ended up crushed under the very building in which they spent their days learning. As many other people have said, I hope it was quick and painless for them. To think that your child's last moments were scary and/or painful...ugh. As a parent it would pain me to know I couldn't be with my child and protect them during the scariest moment of their life. I also can't imagine the torture of being a parent who had to get to that school to find out the fate of their kids. I'm sure getting there was nearly impossible due to the damage, and then to get there and see how bad it really was...my heart breaks for those whose kids never emerged. I think about that a lot, that if something ever happened here, I'm all the way downtown while the kids are up in Greece. It's a 15-20 minute car ride on a regular day, and I can't imagine how awful it would be if I simply couldn't get there...or how long those 15-20 minutes would feel on a normal day if I had to get there fast for an isolated incident.
Less than two years ago there was a small fire in the boiler room of the church building where the kids' daycare is housed. It happened during naptime and Jacob still talks about it. He doesn't seem particularly traumatized, but that he remembers bothers me a bit. They basically all had to get up and out immediately, and they did. The fire didn't do any damage to the daycare (and I think any damage to the church was contained to that room), but upon hearing the story at the end of the day, I was definitely thankful that it was a minor incident and their evacuation plan worked well. Once in a while you hear about fires or intruders at daycares, and I can only imagine how awful it is for parents to make their way there not knowing the fate of their child. There are only so many teachers with so many arms and hands, you know? Heck, I think about my limited arms and hands when I'm home alone with the kids overnight. When it was just Jacob it seemed manageable, but now with two there's the thought of which one you go to first and how you'd get them both out if you had to.
The other thing that bothers me is how you function through a disaster like that with kids. I can only imagine the emotional scars the survivors will carry around from their experience in the school, but I'm sure some of them also no longer have a home to go back to. Their entire world has been destroyed. From a parent perspective it has to be so hard to function on a practical level. How do you make sure your family is fed and clothed? Where can you go so everyone can try to get some sleep? Where do you get diapers or formula? But on an emotional level, I can't even imagine. Knowing that everything is gone--every keepsake, every picture, every toy--I can't even imagine how you begin to give you or your kids any sense of stability and normalcy after that. I can only imagine the nightmares and separation anxiety they must deal with, or the cries because beloved toys are gone forever. It has to be so hard to explain to your child that your home just isn't there anymore. I just don't know how you ever convince them (and yourself) that things will be okay again.
I suppose it's that element that I relate to more than anything, because a house fire or some other random event (plenty of houses around here have been hit by vehicles, for example) could leave us in the same situation, minus the community in chaos. Jacob gets emotional about so many little details, so I can't even imagine how he'd react if his Legos were gone or he didn't have his million stuffed animals to cuddle. I can't begin to think of how we'd talk him down from that, since our nerves would be frayed as well. And now with a new baby, I know I would be crazy just trying to make sure we have what we need for him, just to make sure he stays healthy.
I just feel so badly for everyone that has been affected. I feel like I can't do much but pray, which doesn't feel like a lot. It's just so horrible, but hopefully God can work some big miracles for those folks...fast.
Newtown was horrific for so many reasons. It was such a random, senseless act. It involved very young children. It was so incredibly violent. Those parents sent their kids off to seemingly the safest place for them, and they ended up dead. Everything about it was simply shocking. But it was such an isolated, random occurrence. On one hand the randomness was comforting because you knew that the odds of it happening to you were slim...but on the other hand it was a reminder than random things can happen to anyone at any time.
Yesterday's tornado was equally devastating but yet so different. I want to say it was more relatable, if nothing else. While we don't get tornadoes too often around here, it's not impossible. Having something like that happen around here may be about the same odds as a gunman walking into the specific school that your kids attend, but I'd have to say that because it was a natural disaster, it feels a little more relatable because something else could happen that would involve destruction along those lines--a fire, explosion, or storm. It just seems more plausible than a gunman, you know? In addition, the damage there obviously went beyond the bounds of the school--the whole community was destroyed. It just makes you think about how you'd manage if you were in a situation like that. I think I'd fail miserably, by the way, but it makes you think long and hard nonetheless.
There are two things about this disaster that keep nagging at me. First, of course, is that those kids were at school when it happened. Again, you think of school as a safe place, and those kids ended up crushed under the very building in which they spent their days learning. As many other people have said, I hope it was quick and painless for them. To think that your child's last moments were scary and/or painful...ugh. As a parent it would pain me to know I couldn't be with my child and protect them during the scariest moment of their life. I also can't imagine the torture of being a parent who had to get to that school to find out the fate of their kids. I'm sure getting there was nearly impossible due to the damage, and then to get there and see how bad it really was...my heart breaks for those whose kids never emerged. I think about that a lot, that if something ever happened here, I'm all the way downtown while the kids are up in Greece. It's a 15-20 minute car ride on a regular day, and I can't imagine how awful it would be if I simply couldn't get there...or how long those 15-20 minutes would feel on a normal day if I had to get there fast for an isolated incident.
Less than two years ago there was a small fire in the boiler room of the church building where the kids' daycare is housed. It happened during naptime and Jacob still talks about it. He doesn't seem particularly traumatized, but that he remembers bothers me a bit. They basically all had to get up and out immediately, and they did. The fire didn't do any damage to the daycare (and I think any damage to the church was contained to that room), but upon hearing the story at the end of the day, I was definitely thankful that it was a minor incident and their evacuation plan worked well. Once in a while you hear about fires or intruders at daycares, and I can only imagine how awful it is for parents to make their way there not knowing the fate of their child. There are only so many teachers with so many arms and hands, you know? Heck, I think about my limited arms and hands when I'm home alone with the kids overnight. When it was just Jacob it seemed manageable, but now with two there's the thought of which one you go to first and how you'd get them both out if you had to.
The other thing that bothers me is how you function through a disaster like that with kids. I can only imagine the emotional scars the survivors will carry around from their experience in the school, but I'm sure some of them also no longer have a home to go back to. Their entire world has been destroyed. From a parent perspective it has to be so hard to function on a practical level. How do you make sure your family is fed and clothed? Where can you go so everyone can try to get some sleep? Where do you get diapers or formula? But on an emotional level, I can't even imagine. Knowing that everything is gone--every keepsake, every picture, every toy--I can't even imagine how you begin to give you or your kids any sense of stability and normalcy after that. I can only imagine the nightmares and separation anxiety they must deal with, or the cries because beloved toys are gone forever. It has to be so hard to explain to your child that your home just isn't there anymore. I just don't know how you ever convince them (and yourself) that things will be okay again.
I suppose it's that element that I relate to more than anything, because a house fire or some other random event (plenty of houses around here have been hit by vehicles, for example) could leave us in the same situation, minus the community in chaos. Jacob gets emotional about so many little details, so I can't even imagine how he'd react if his Legos were gone or he didn't have his million stuffed animals to cuddle. I can't begin to think of how we'd talk him down from that, since our nerves would be frayed as well. And now with a new baby, I know I would be crazy just trying to make sure we have what we need for him, just to make sure he stays healthy.
I just feel so badly for everyone that has been affected. I feel like I can't do much but pray, which doesn't feel like a lot. It's just so horrible, but hopefully God can work some big miracles for those folks...fast.
Monday, May 20, 2013
Catching Up with Jacob
One month from today, Jacob turns five. FIVE. I've been documenting his life for nearly five years, and it absolutely boggles my mind that we've come this far. Kindergarten seemed a lifetime away when he was a baby, and now it's just a few months away. He's this big, gangly kid. He's super skinny, because he's too active to keep any meat on his bones. Something happened in the six months or so while I was too pregnant to lift him, where he's now suddenly almost impossible for me to carry. He still loves sports more than anything else, and he's very serious about them...right down to his baseball cleats and soccer shin guards. His imagination runs wild these days when he's playing with his toys--he loves his Legos, Playmobil guys, and his hockey guys. He's got a giant independent/defiant streak. He's always known how he wants things to be and will accept nothing else. Morning arguments about clothes happen almost daily, mostly because he always wants sports pants or shorts and the available ones never seem to match the shirt featuring the sport he wants. He's big on drama and asks a million questions. He suddenly loves to draw and color, and he's pretty good at it, too. He likes asking how words are spelled, and he often likes to write letters, but he often writes things in a total mirror image. He can be the sweetest little boy, but he's definitely a handful. His adorable dimple is still intact, but there are days it boggles my mind to think he's the same tiny baby I held in my arms five years ago.
For all the talk there is about how younger siblings get the shaft as far as documenting their lives via baby book or photos, I'll admit that Jacob has probably gotten the shaft since Carter's arrival. I look through my photos and feel a little bad because there are not many of him. Are we going to look back on the first few months of Carter's life and wonder where the heck Jacob was and what he looked like? Admittedly, it's not all my fault. Jacob isn't the most accommodating when it comes to picture taking, so often it's not even worth trying because I know he won't sit still or give me a good smile. I really should spend more time covertly documenting his Lego escapades or taking video when he's outside hitting balls with Daddy, but my hands are often pretty full these days. When he's occupied I'm either managing Carter or getting done what I can around the house. Those bottles are not going to wash themselves! He'd also prefer to be with Daddy most of the time anyway. I suppose I just end up with less moments to capture for posterity. The everyday moments don't always jump out at you as special, but now that I'm on kid #2 I'm starting to realize how important it is to document those as well.
In general Jacob just hasn't gotten a lot of attention on the blog since Carter's arrival, again because I don't get a lot of time to spend with him, and when I do there's often some sort of argument or frustrating interaction that goes along with it, which just seems to spoil the mood. I also don't want to harp on Jacob's frequent inability to listen or cooperate, so I probably don't even vent here as much as I could. He can be a great kid, which probably makes the frustrating moments that much more frustrating since it doesn't have to be that way.
But when he's being good, he can be so great. He's very social and he says the funniest things sometimes. He's very passionate about things. And when he plays by himself, he can be so imaginative. The other day when he was home sick, I was getting dressed and could hear him playing downstairs with his hockey guys. I decided this was a perfect slice of life to take video of.
The jury's still out on whether or not he will follow in Daddy's broadcasting footsteps, but tell me this is not awesome...
I need to pay more attention to continuing to showcase Jacob on this blog in addition to his little brother. Both boys continue to amaze me every day--it's just that Carter is a little more accommodating on the picture front! I'm glad I have this clip because years from now I will watch it and marvel at the little boy he is now. Time is going so fast, and it's leaving me in disbelief. The countdown is on...
For all the talk there is about how younger siblings get the shaft as far as documenting their lives via baby book or photos, I'll admit that Jacob has probably gotten the shaft since Carter's arrival. I look through my photos and feel a little bad because there are not many of him. Are we going to look back on the first few months of Carter's life and wonder where the heck Jacob was and what he looked like? Admittedly, it's not all my fault. Jacob isn't the most accommodating when it comes to picture taking, so often it's not even worth trying because I know he won't sit still or give me a good smile. I really should spend more time covertly documenting his Lego escapades or taking video when he's outside hitting balls with Daddy, but my hands are often pretty full these days. When he's occupied I'm either managing Carter or getting done what I can around the house. Those bottles are not going to wash themselves! He'd also prefer to be with Daddy most of the time anyway. I suppose I just end up with less moments to capture for posterity. The everyday moments don't always jump out at you as special, but now that I'm on kid #2 I'm starting to realize how important it is to document those as well.
In general Jacob just hasn't gotten a lot of attention on the blog since Carter's arrival, again because I don't get a lot of time to spend with him, and when I do there's often some sort of argument or frustrating interaction that goes along with it, which just seems to spoil the mood. I also don't want to harp on Jacob's frequent inability to listen or cooperate, so I probably don't even vent here as much as I could. He can be a great kid, which probably makes the frustrating moments that much more frustrating since it doesn't have to be that way.
But when he's being good, he can be so great. He's very social and he says the funniest things sometimes. He's very passionate about things. And when he plays by himself, he can be so imaginative. The other day when he was home sick, I was getting dressed and could hear him playing downstairs with his hockey guys. I decided this was a perfect slice of life to take video of.
The jury's still out on whether or not he will follow in Daddy's broadcasting footsteps, but tell me this is not awesome...
I need to pay more attention to continuing to showcase Jacob on this blog in addition to his little brother. Both boys continue to amaze me every day--it's just that Carter is a little more accommodating on the picture front! I'm glad I have this clip because years from now I will watch it and marvel at the little boy he is now. Time is going so fast, and it's leaving me in disbelief. The countdown is on...
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