THE ADVENTURES OF THE JAC ATTACK!

A Blog about a clever boy and a mom determined to out-smart him.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

The Simple Things

JAC has drastically changed my life. Today I feel overwhelmed by how much more the simple things matter to me. Prior to JAC I had a busy life with a busy job and lots of busy friends. Now JAC has taken over and it has caused me to re-evaluate things.

About a week ago I bought a bag of bird seed hoping that I could scatter it on my front steps and attract some birds. I thought it would be entertaining to watch the birds while JAC and I were stuck inside due to the winter weather. I was right. It has been very entertaining. First, Roxy ate all the bird seed off the steps. Next, I moved the seed to the windowsills only to have the sneaky squirrels come and eat it at night while I slept. Finally, yesterday I found an old bird feeder discarded by a previous renter in our back yard. Jess helped me clean it up and I filled it with bird seed and perched it awkwardly in our Dogwood tree. This morning I looked out and there were two tiny red bird couples. Each pair had a bright headed male and pale brown female and they were eating hungrily from my feeder. I thought they were beautiful! Then as an added bonus the branches were filled by two other varieties of song birds chirping away waiting their turn at the feeder. I savored the moment. I had a hot cup of coffee, a sleeping baby and some beautiful song birds to watch on a sunny day. Just then, Roxy came racing across the yard barking! She was determined to scare off my birds. The birds scattered and she has spent the entire morning posting guard under my feeder. Crazy dog!

I have also found that parenting has introduced a whole new level of worry into my life. While Jess was out of town I could hardly sleep because I was afraid there would be a fire and I couldn't save the baby despite him sleeping in a room just a few feet from mine. This morning JAC was sleeping peacefully and instead of being grateful I was worried that he was too quiet. (Anyone who knows our baby knows he does not sleep quietly but instead makes small sounds and an occasional yelp while he sleeps.) I rushed into his room and pulled his blankets off and touched him roughly so he would jerk awake. He was slow to react - sleepily opening one eye and for a quick moment I worried that he had died in his sleep. Thankful all is well and he is currently screaming for his breakfast but I am quickly realizing why parenting ages you.

On a final unrelated note - last night I registered for the local community college. My close friends and family know I have always wanted to be a physical therapist but have found all the prerequisites I needed daunting. Now with JAC here I have determined to go back to night school. I am hoping by posting this information the people I love most will hold me accountable for going after my dream and encourage me a bit when I get discouraged. I am so blessed with great friends and family. I realize this every day and I am glad JAC will have so many wonderful people in his life.

Friday, February 20, 2009

Intensity

Jess has been gone all week so JAC and I have been on our own. When I first heard Jess was going to be out of town for a week I was pretty distraught but with a lot of prayer and some motivational phone conversations with my mom we survived in good form. I'm actually a bit sad that Jess had to miss this week. It seems like JAC has made some major developmental steps this week. For instance, he has really started to smile and coo this week.

Today I had to take JAC for his two month checkup. It seems amazing that it has already been two months but at the same time it seems like JAC has been with us forever. I remember our first doctor's appointment just a few days after JAC was born. I cried the whole way through. I was exhausted and afraid that JAC was going to die because I couldn't get him to eat. Jess had to do all the talking because I was too upset to communicate with the doctor. Now just two months later I've been able to survive for a whole week with JAC on my own.

They weighed and measured JAC today. He has gone from being in the 30th percentile of babies to being in the 75th percentile. He's also doubled his birth weight and grown almost 5 inches. Interestingly, both the doctor and the nurse both characterized JAC as a very "intense" baby and I think they are right. JAC will get very focused on an object and extremely frustrated if you move it. He also has been working very hard to make baby sounds -concentrating and making faces. When he can't manage to make the sounds he wants he gets very upset. I was hoping JAC would have Jess' laid back personality but I believe he has Jess' good looks and my fiery personality. It will be interesting to see how this impacts our future.

The doctor gave me instructions today on how to put JAC on a sleeping schedule. She also said it was time to start teaching JAC how to fall asleep on his own. This means that instead of holding him until he falls asleep I now have to put him in his crib when he is sleepy and let him cry until he falls asleep. Now the battle of wills has begun. He is smart enough to know that I generally pick him up when he cries and as soon as I put him in his crib this afternoon the wailing began. I let him cry for a while and then went in and patted him while he was in his crib. He is still resisting sleep but I am determined to do what the doctor said.

Finally, today JAC had to get five vaccinations. I hated for him to have to go through the pain but I am very thankful to live in a country where children are vaccinated. I feel blessed that JAC will have a fighting chance at a healthy life.

Monday, February 16, 2009

And the Winner Is.....

I am basking in a post Valentines Day glow. Jess and I didn't get to celebrate together last year so this year was extra special. Jess started the day off by taking care of JAC and letting me sleep in which is always a huge gift. We woke up, ate breakfast and then went on a running date near the Potomac River. It was a brisk, beautiful day and it was so much fun to run with Jess. Jess and I often ran together when we were dating and we really missed it while I was pregnant. It is so nice to be able to do it again. I am finally getting in good enough shape that it doesn't hurt the whole time and we finished off with a 3 mile walk. I just enjoyed talking to my best friend as we walked.

Next we went and bought new running shoes. My feet grew half a size while I was pregnant and the result has been huge blisters from my old running shoes. When we got home I cooked a steak dinner and chocolate covered strawberries. Jess gave me a really sweet card. (He had ordered me flowers but they never showed up -darn.) Finally JAC went to bed and then it was time for my surprise to Jess.

I have married the most romantic man on earth and unfortunately it is largely wasted on me. I can be so practical that I don't appreciate romance. For instance one of my favorite gifts to receive is new running socks. You can never have enough socks. This year I decided to make an effort and I think I won the romance contest. I covered our whole downstairs bathroom with tea lights and filled our claw-footed tub with bubble bath. Then I tricked Jess into coming downstairs to see it. He was so excited. He loved it and we have decided to make it a more regular thing. Best of all he admitted that I had outdone him this year. Awesome! I love winning even if I do have several years of Jess out romancing me to make up for.

The best thing about Valentines Day was JAC. He was happy all day, making cute sounds while he looked at his toys and staring at the sky while we ran. Best of all he slept for five ours straight Saturday night! It was great. I woke up feeling like a real human being instead of my usual groggy self. I was hoping for a repeat performance tonight but wasn't that lucky. JAC was once again back on a schedule of waking up every three hours but I'll be happy for the sleep I got on Sat and look forward to sleep filled nights in the future.

Monday, February 9, 2009

Mud and a Lack of Order

The weather has been beautiful the past few days and Washingtonians are taking full advantage of it. Saturday I loaded up JAC and Roxy and headed for our usual running location only to find there was a waiting line to get into the parking lot. I tried a few of my other favorite spots only to find the same thing. It seems like the city has come out of winter hibernation. Finally I drove to the Billy Goat Trail and after circling the parking lots 3 times managed to find a spot and had a great run.

Today I returned to the Billy Goat Trail for my daily run. It is nice and flat and the dirt trail is easy on my shin splints. As I unloaded the dog, baby and stroller I realized how much order JAC has forced order into my life. I have always valued spontaneity and never placed a premium on organization. Now that JAC is here everything has a routine. For instance I always put JAC in the stroller first and then let Roxy out for fear that she might dart after a bicycle and carry my stroller away. Also, every night when JAC cries I change him first and then feed him because I don't want him to wake up after I feed him.

The Billy Goat Trail was absolutely beautiful. The weather was sunny and the Potomac looked pristine. I stopped at the lookout at the Great Falls so JAC could see his first waterfall and there were lots of bird out enjoying the weather. I even ran five miles instead of the three miles I had planned. ( I actually missed a mile marker and then had to run and extra mile home.) There was only one small drawback to our run today. Ice had melted leaving portions of the trail very muddy and as a result both Roxy and I came back covered in mud. When we got back to the car I put JAC in his car seat, fastened him in, loaded the stroller and then put Roxy in the back seat. I usually let Roxy ride shotgun and she usually spends most of the drive trying to crawl into my lap only to finally reconcile herself to just putting her head in my lap while I drive. Today Roxy was so muddy I didn't want her riding in the front so I tied her up in the back seat to ensure she didn't try to sneak up front. About half way through the drive as I was attempting to merge onto 495 and looked in my rear view mirror and noticed her leash was stretched over towards JAC. I thought this was curious but didn't have the time to investigate further. Finally I stopped at a light on 50 and looked back. To my surprise Roxy was sitting in the car seat with JAC. She was lying across his feet and stomach looking out the window. JAC seemed completely unfazed but his blankets and car seat were covered in mud. As we neared our house JAC began to whimper. I looked back and saw Roxy lick his forehead. That dog is highly unpredictable but it is nice to know my son is not easily upset. Though I have to wonder what Roxy was thinking...

1. I can't sit in mom's lap so JAC's will have to do
2. I'll show the baby who's the head of the pack
3. If I sit on the baby I'll have a better view out the window

Your guess is as good as mine. I just wish I had brought my camera.

Monday, February 2, 2009

A Boy's Best Friend

My son is currently upstairs sound asleep with the vacuum running right next to the crib. No - Unfortunately we did not get a maid. Instead, late last week I made a discovery. JAC was screaming non-stop and I had just about lost it. Finally I put him in his crib, dragged the vacuum into the room and turned it on to drown out the noise. Instantly JAC was quiet and sleeping. Lest you think I am totally heartless, I came up with the idea based on JAC's performance the night before. My friends from the office were having a happy hour and I really wanted to go. I begged Jess to come with me and bring JAC along. The bar was rocking with loud music and loud people but for the first time that week JAC was sleeping peacefully. He loved the bar! I decided that this was a sign that either I was supposed to drink more or JAC is destined to be a wild man but it did help me understand that he likes a little noise in his life.

In an effort to loose the baby weight, JAC, Roxy and I have started training for a half marathon. Today all three of us went for a 4.5 mile jog. While I understand that we still have a long way to go it was great to be outside and it is great to have a goal. Roxy did well. I tied her to the stroller and she jogged along taking only momentary breaks to lunge at oncoming bikers. After the run I sat on a park picnic table feeding JAC while I looked at the Potomac and Roxy stood guard against any potentially dangerous bicycles. She has always hated bicycles - even when she was a baby.

An Upside Down Affair

Its been an exciting couple of days for JAC. Yesterday he watched his first Super Bowl and was devastated when the Cardinals lost and on Saturday he went jogging with mom and dad in his new running stroller. I'm pretty sure he loved jogging but its hard to tell since he slept through the whole four miles covered with sweatshirts Jess and I had shed. JAC also went to church for the first time on Sunday and as we suspected was mobbed by church members who had been anxiously awaiting JAC's arrival at church. JAC managed to stay quiet for most of the service and I'm mostly sure that he's already decided that he's loves Jesus too though he did become mysteriously stinky towards the end of service.

After church the weather was so nice that Jess and I decided to eat lunch outside. JAC came too and Jess was holding him while I sat and ate and out of the corner of my eye I saw something strange but my brain didn't fully register what it was. I looked again and realized it was exactly what I thought it was. Jess had just licked JAC on the head. Shocked, I asked Jess what he was doing and he replied, "JAC had licked him first and he was just licking him back." I thought that was pretty funny and JAC has recently started licking everything - sticking his tongue out like a lizard. I believe he is trying to taste the world.

JAC has finally begun to see and it has already started to form his personality. He insists that I hold him facing out so he can watch the world. He has also figured out when I'm not around and I can't leave the room anymore without him noticing and staging a protest. I'm going to have to get sneakier of start carrying JAC with me everywhere.

I fed JAC at 6 this morning, put him back in his car seat to sleep and then stumbled back to bed exhausted. About half an hour later JAC began to cry and Jess volunteered to go check on him. To his surprise Jess found JAC upside down with his feet in the air and his head facing towards the ground. Apparently after I had put him down he had kicked and turned so much that he caused the car seat to turn directions. Jess said that when he picked him up JAC had a look of deep gratitude as if he had been rescued from extreme peril. We both thought it was pretty funny but also an indicator that it might be time for JAC to sleep in his crib again.