Tuesday, December 9, 2008

All Kinds of Gifts

Happy 7 month birthday Jack! It's hard to believe that your rocky start has led here. You started off in the hospital for an entire month, and now you are home with us-- happy, healthy, and strong. Everyone who meets you is amazed by how happy and friendly you are. You always have a smile; even if you're crying, you can't help to smile or laugh when played with. And man, are you strong! The nurses remarked how strong and stubborn you were, despite being sedated...when 1 day old you pushed up on your elbows and hands in the hospital, frustrated with your situation. Now, only home for 6 months, you're crawling. What a miracle baby. We love you.

Jack first started crawling last night! He has crawled even more and farther this morning! Can you guess what his motivation for this latest development could possibly be? Behold, the REMOTE CONTROL!!! Yes, the TV remotes (all 3 of them) hold mystical power over our baby and he cannot resist them. Last night he inched his way towards the cable remote until he finally got a hold of it. This morning he crawled about a foot to get to the remote. We are so excited; it's truly amazing to witness Jack's development. He is a strong willed little guy, and will not be denied his wants and wishes. My dad claims Jack is stubborn like unto his mother, which is a little hypocritical since I got my stubborness from my dad...so Dad, if you're reading, Jack gets his stubborness from YOU! Anyways, I can't think of a better time of year for him to begin his crawling since you know, there is a big lit-up Christmas tree with dangling ornaments everywhere to tempt him with...wait, now I gotta chase after him! Dang it, I guess I didn't think this thing through. If you wish, you can view the remote control's power over Jack in the video link. Til' next time!

Monday, December 1, 2008

Nature's Magic

Today we braved the cold weather and took a walk to our favorite park. The trees are so beautiful, creating a canopy overhead with a winding walk through the idyllic scene. We walk here with Jack a few times a week. He loves to be outside and sits happily staring at the trees. I often think babies must feel closer to home (heaven) when in nature. It doesn't matter if Jack is throwing a monstrous fit, the second we step outside he becomes silent and still...once when he was just a couple of months old we had a tough time keeping him calm and happy. So I took him out to the backyard where he instantly calmed down, falling asleep. Within 3 seconds of walking back inside the house he started wailing again (how did he know we were back inside? He was asleep!!). So of course I walk right back outside again where he immediately calmed down. Nature, whatever your magic is, keep it coming!