6 Months

My baby is six months old! It seems like just yesterday that this little guy joined our family, and yet at the same time it's hard to remember what life was like without him. I have noticed the greatest change in Jack the last couple of months. He is so much more aware of his surroundings. He is interested in everything! It's so fun to watch his eyes dart from one thing to the next as he discovers the world. I often wonder what thoughts are going through his mind. He has completely mastered rolling over and uses that as his mode of transportation these days. He can sit up by himself for short bursts at a time before he topples over. He started eating baby food a couple of weeks ago and it has been fun trying out new foods; for the most part he gobbles everything up. He is usually in a great mood - happy and smiley all the time, yet he really makes us work for those giggles (either that, or maybe mom and dad are just not as funny as they think they are).

5 Months

6 Months

 6 Months Stats:

Height: 27.5 inches

Weight: 17 lbs. 2.5 oz

About four weeks ago we finally moved Jack into his own room. Yes, I know it's about time. Don't judge us - there are several reasons why we waited, but I'm not going to take the time to explain. We got a video monitor so we could keep an eye on him and one of my favorite pastimes is watching him on that thing. I could sit and watch him sleep all day. The other morning, Brandt and I both woke up around 7:15 and turned the monitor on to check on the boy. He was wide awake just laying in his crib, content as could be just playing with his feet. I have no idea how long he'd been awake, but he stayed that way for another 45 minutes before he finally decided he wanted to get up. It was fun spying on him and watching him play.

This picture was from his first night in his crib. At the time we had him sleeping in his car seat because he was going through a phase where he was waking up ALL.THE.TIME. (one awful night, no exaggeration, he woke up every 20-30 minutes). The car seat seemed to help get him through that rough patch, but now he's back to just lying on his back. And he's doing MUCH better (knock on wood!!). He usually goes to bed around nine and sleeps until about 7:30-8. Some nights he'll go the whole night without waking up, or if he does wake up he'll put himself back to sleep. And other nights we may have to get up and give him his bink 2-3 times during the night.

We sure do love our little Jackers. It's crazy to think we've had him here with us for six months already. And yet at the same time it seems like he's always been here. Each new phase is so much fun. It passes too quickly. The other day I was setting up a patient for their next appointment in six months, and it happened to fall on October 22nd. I said, "oh, that will be my son's first birthday!" and, out of nowhere, tears sprang to my eyes. Those of you who know me well know that I am not typically a crier. But for some reason, the thought of my baby being a year old...I was overcome with emotion. My patient was this older lady (the grandma type) and she just smiled and said, "oh now, don't worry, that's still six months away! That's a long ways off still." And she's right. But I know it will be here sooner than I would like. I try to savor each day with him, because, as cliche as it sounds, it's true: they grow up too fast.

Easter

We had a great Easter weekend this year. Our Bishop counselled us to celebrate the commercial side of Easter on Saturday, so this year the Easter Bunny brought baskets of goodies Saturday morning. Missing from this year's festivities was the drama we experienced last year when Brandt found out his basket would not be sitting on the couch waiting for him (I call it "The Great Easter Basket Fiasco of 2011"). This year was much more pleasant. Having been forewarned that his basket would be hidden again this year, he happily commenced his search. And with just five minutes of diligently searching, he found his basket behind the bookshelf! Way to go Babe! I knew you could do it!! Jack was not exempt from having to look for his basket. The Easter Bunny is no respector of persons. Kind of like God. But with obvious differences. Yes, Jack must search for his basket as well.

Granted, The Easter Bunny realizes Jack is just 5 1/2 months old - so hiding the basket in plain site just four feet away from him seems fair.

But even then, Jack still needed some enticing to roll his way over there. Dad set out some eggs to help Jack get excited about his basket.

"Look Mom! I found it!!"

 Brandt got tickets to go see the dinosaur exhibit at the museum and Jack got new binkies, swimming trunks, and a movie. I wanted to find good, quality baskets like what I had as a kid, but every store we went to only carried those cheap, flimsy baskets. I guess you could say I'm an Easter basket snob. We traipsed all over town before we finally found these at Michaels (which is, ironically, within walking distance of our apartment).

Just enjoying the spoils. He started sucking on his new binkies before they were even out of the package.

Ready for church!

On Sunday we went to church. It was Fast Sunday, and not only did we not have any Easter talks, but we also did not have any Easter lessons, which was kind of different. But the church has made some great Mormon Messages videos about Easter so Brandt and I spent some time watching those that afternoon. It was a great reminder of the true reason we celebrate this holiday. Watching those videos gave me an opportunity to contemplate the sacrifices that Christ has made for me and how grateful I am for Him in my life. It encouraged me to try harder to remember and strive to be more like Him.

I should have put on a roast or something fancy for Easter dinner, but I didn't think about it until it was too late. Whoops. We had corn dogs and fries. Pretty slick right? Oh well, better luck next year! The weather was absolutely perfect, so after our Easter feast we went on a long walk. It's always nice to get out and enjoy the good weather. We had a great Easter weekend. It's so fun experiencing these holidays with Jack.

Splish Splash

Jack loves bath time. Even if he's fussing like crazy, just plop him in the water and he's perfectly content. We usually do Jack's bath as part of his nighttime routine and it's one of my favorite things to do with him.  His newest trick is splashing, which makes a great mess, but is a lot of fun!

After bath time, it's diaper, lotion, and pj's. There's nothing better than cuddling with my fresh, clean, sweet-smelling baby doll after his bath. 

9x9 April

1. I finished {this book} last night. I really enjoyed it. Some day I may get around to doing a post about the books I've read recently. Maybe. Maybe not.

2. Monday mornings I usually go over what I call our "expense reports". It's our way of keeping track of our money in vs. money out and takes about 20 minutes when I do it every week.

3. We skyped Grandma Bev this morning so she could see Jack opening his Easter package we received in the mail this morning. Jack's spring wardrobe is all set thanks to Grandma!

4. Daddy making Jack giggle.

5. Eating lunch before mom heads off to work. On the menu: Peas. Mushy peas.

6. Jack: "me no likie peas!" (I don't blame him, they smelled awful.)

7. Dinner was much better. Jack had rice cereal which he likes and mom and dad had Cheesy Spaghetti Bake with breadsticks. Cake for dessert. Yum!

8.  Jack sporting his new fishing hat from Grandma. Adorable right? Love it!

9. I love my boys!

A Day in the Life of Mr. Mom

For some time Dani has been asking me to update the blog with my musings about being a stay at home dad. Here is a rundown of a typical day for Mr. Mom. We'll make today a Friday. My...er...Jack's favorite shows come on on Friday's. 

The day starts about 6:44 AM. Dani leaves a bottle for Jack on the nightstand and goes to work while Jack and I sleep. On her way out Dani will open the garage door. It is loud and the metal creeks like a car being squished in a compactor. Jack and I will continue to sleep and dream about  being in a junk yard with a car compactor. A strange man threatens to squish my brother if I can't steal 50 cars by the weekend and Nicholas Cage comes bursting onto the scene screaming he must find the Declaration of Independence. 

About 8:30ish Jack will wake up and make noises and talk to himself in his crib. I listen to him; this is one of the fun moments about being Mr. Mom. Soon, however, I am asleep again and dreaming about a drunken parrot. It must be drunk. Its words are slurred and make no audible sense, but it’s a happy parrot. Jack is still contently awake and babbling to himself. About 9:00 I wake up and take Jack downstairs for breakfast. About 9:01 I go back upstairs to get the bottle I left on the nightstand. The rest of the day goes as follows:

We eat breakfast. Jack first of course. He always gets to eat first. It just spoils the fun of feeling like a pirate while eating Marshmallow Mateys when your own little matey is upset. Jack proudly uses the big-boy bottles these days:

We may tie some flies for fishing. This is how Jack reacts. Seriously, I looked over one day and this is what I saw. Fear not, he will grow to like it. I promise:

We watch a few of our favorite shows including: "Dinosaur Train." This show is like crack for little boys (and big ones)...dinosaurs AND trains. That's right, BOTH, don't think about it too much or your head might explode. Just know that Dr. Scott, the paleontologist, is a genius.  "Tracks Ahead"  is another good one and Jack sits on dad's lap while bonding over a glorious half hour of uninterrupted commercial-free railroading Utopia. From Z-scale to full size, this show is all about trains:

Jack will spit up. He has a problem with that. I guess his mom was the same way. So we blame her when she's not around. This was a particularly bad time. He was rolling around the floor..and...well...have a look:

We may go for a walk. This is particularly fun for Jack and I. We both have a yearning need to get out on a regular basis. Being born in October, Jack hasn't had much time outside and walks were usually confined to the mall but we are enjoying the nicer weather. He lights up when it is time for a walk. As do the elderly ladies we pass by making their rounds in the mall. (I let Jack think it is because of him):

We may take a bath. Jack likes his baths. There was a time that we would bathe at the same time. However, after Jack decided to have a doosie in the twosie one day while dad was in the tub with him, (and I mean DOOSIE, enough to instantly turn the water yellow-brown, if there had been fish in this tub they would have been floating belly up) that has changed. He has been "promoted" to the kitchen sink these days:

And last of all we may watch the occasional episode of "Nature" and learn all about the creatures of the world. I really think this show should be found on Comedy Central more often than on PBS. Below is a clip Dani and I found quite humorous. Enjoy:

 There are so many proper and, more likely, less than proper jokes that could be made about this video. But, I will leave those to your own creative minds. This blog is G-rated. Unless, of course, Dani is posting. She can get risque :{

And...if free time allows, Jack and I will create videos such as the one below. Jack thought the first clip needed a little pep. Observe:

 I guess the group LMFAO's secret is out. Unlike bands of old, inspiration these days comes from the "Nature" show and not from drugs.

Although I am looking forward to starting work again. I must admit, I will miss spending so much time with Jackers. He is the greatest joy in our lives. Being a dad (and Mr. mom)...I wouldn't have it any other way.