Uncool Me

While jogging with a friend yesterday, I asked her if she felt her kids made her feel older. She then posed the question "do you ever feel like your kids make you uncool?" Definitely.

Here's an ever-growing list of how my cool factor plummetted once I became a parent:

1.) I used to love cruising in my red Mustang, with the radio blaring. Now I drive a Camry, with the music turned down so as to not bother the kids. When I go out by myself and have the choice to drive the Mustang, I opt for the Camry since it's higher off the ground and has better shocks. Lame I know.

2.) It took me months to know who Lady Gaga was. Enough said.

3.) I'm excited to go to bed at 10pm, and ecstatic if I sleep through until 6am. Sleeping in for me is going until 8am, and that is really exciting!

4.) More on #3- I used to think it was torture to wake up at 8am. Sigh.

5.) I complain about big crowds and annoying teenagers at the movie theater.

6.) To get my exercise, I generally opt to walk over run, because my knees bother me.

7.) In college I thought myself to be an intellectual, immersing myself in literature and the history of ancient civilizations. Today, my biggest concern is getting my 2 boys to nap at the same time.

8.) A trip to the grocery store alone is a chance to enjoy myself.

9.) I drive the speed limit, most of the time.

10.) I get excited when P&G coupons arrive in the mail.

There you have it. If you still want to be my friend after reading that list, feel free to commiserate and share how your kids make you uncool.

A quick update

What have we been up to lately? Here's some footage...

We've shot some hoops...

We've played hair stylist:
We've slid down really tall inflatable slides:

We've enjoyed some brotherly cuddles: We're bonding more and more everyday:

smiles and coos, oh my!

Jason is smiling lots and cooing lots, and I eat it up. It's one of my favorite things when we coo back and forth with each other. He's happiest in the mornings, and I've tried to sneak a video of our coo-fest a few times without much success. He gets distracted by the camera and stops talking. But finally I captured some of his priceless coos, featured in the video below. Triumph!

He loves when you talk or sing to him, and I love when he does it back. Love, love, LOVE it.

Jack and Jason baby pictures

I wanted to compare Jack's and Jason's baby pictures. They are both 7-8 weeks old here, and in the same outfit.

The obvious difference? The hair of course. Jason's picture is on bottom, and he has way more hair, and it's much darker than Jack's. Jason is also getting some pretty good chipmunk cheeks there. (To be fair, at the time of Jack's picture, he had only been home from the hospital and growing for about 3 weeks, so it's not a truly accurate comparison.) I think that their facial features are pretty similar, especially the nose and mouth. They both got their noses from their gorgeous mama.

Profile Shots:

JackJason

I think you can see the similarity better in the profiles. I can definitely tell they're brothers. But I think the hair throws most people off. Differences besides the hair? Jason's longer; even his fingers and toes are longer than Jack's were.

I love having 2 boys, and seeing the similarities and differences in them, both physical and in personality. And I love seeing the relationship between brothers. I can't wait for Jason to grow some more and interact with his big brother; Jack is either mimicking the baby or trying to make him laugh. When the baby fusses, Jack is there to pat him or to give him his pacifier. Jack has wanted more attention lately, but I think that's pretty normal; and I'm more than happy to cuddle my oldest baby.

Jace photos and update

Jason is now 7 weeks old and growing like a weed! He is developing beautifully and showing us more of his personality. He loves to smile when he first wakes up, and as he drifts off to sleep. He also loves to coo and lay down on his tummy on anything soft- so sweet.

Below are some photos showing his growth over the past 7 weeks; he's already changed so much.

1 day old in hospital- He started out like this:

2 days old, 1st day home 1 1/2 weeks old
1-2 weeks old

I love that spiky hair! His hair is SO much fun to play with.
About 3 weeks old here, more alert now

Enjoying the breezy afternoon in the backyard another hair shot, here it's curled over, haha

blurry pic, but shows how l-o-n-g he is

cuddle time is the best, he loves to be on his tummy, especially on your chest.

I made Jon do this. Jace is about 5-6 weeks old here.

about 6 weeks old here- I love his pose, he looks like such a little man

7 weeks old, happy on the soft blanket

His hair is still really dark and straight. If I spike it up after bathtime, it'll stay spiked thru the next day, even after sleeping. His eyes are still blue, and hoping they stay that way! As of his 1 month doctor's appointment, he weighed in at 9 lbs, 9 oz and 22 3/4 inches long, with a head circumference of 14 3/4 inches. His weight moved up in percentile to the 50th, his height is in the 90th percentile, and his head is in the 25th percentile. (He must get his head size from his Daddy, because I've got a big head.) His 2 month appointment is now just around the corner, so we'll see how much he's grown since then.

He is being much more interactive and alert now, which is very exciting and rewarding. He is pretty laid back usually, and content to lay on the floor. He cooed back and forth with me last night and was all smiles, probably because he had just finished eating. He loves bathtime...and pooltime. We've had him in the pool twice now and he was content and relaxed both times, thank goodness. I think we may have another water baby on our hands. (Our other boy Jack, is jumping in at the 4 foot whether you're there to catch him or not, but that's another story.) And I hate to put this in writing for fear of jinxing it, but Jason is only waking up once during the night to eat, yay! Perhaps I love that most about him. We're starting to get into a predictable schedule, and life is normalizing around here with 2 children. Love that too. We love our sweet Jason.

Jack Tales: Part 2

"Where's the 'Open the Door' "?

I took Jack and Jason for a walk around the neighborhoood the other day. When we walk back towards our house, Jack likes to hold the garage door opener so he can open the garage when we come in view of the house. So he opens the door, and I park the stroller inside the garage for a minute while Jack and I water the flowers out front. Because I'm a smart Mommy, I take a set of keys with me in case Jack decides to use his "garage door opener powers" for evil and and close the door, locking us out, (and thus, Jason IN the garage alone). Imagine my surprise when I'm done watering the flowers and Jack is now garage door opener-less. Hmmm, for all my smart-Mommyness, I did not anticipate him hiding it. I'm now in the predicament of retracing my toddler's footsteps thru the front yard, and asking him where he put it. Only, he doesn't know the words "garage door opener," he only knows that whenever he uses it I tell him to "open the door." So I'm asking my 3 year old, "where's the 'open the door' "? He finally relents, and points toward a certain spot in the bushes....where I find the garage door opener- only now, it has been freshly watered with the rest of the flowers. Note to self: next time watering flowers, confiscate garage door opener from rascally toddler, and be an even smarter Mommy.

Jack Tales: Part 1

My Little Navigator:

Since the latest addition to our family, Jason, arrived, we've been taking walks around the neighborhood in our new Sit & Stand stroller, which has the option of an older sibling either sitting or standing in the back. Jack opts to sit. Well, to get my exercise, I walked the farther distance to the park on the other side of the neighborhood. One day while out again, I wanted to go a different route, turning on a different street. Well, Jack lost it and threw a mini-tantrum because he thought we weren't going to the park. Now, whenever out in the stroller, he makes sure to direct Mommy where to go: i.e. the park. See for yourself below:

This way Mommy! Go STRAIGHT.

Now turn RIGHT (after I jokingly veered left)



Keep going straight, that's it.
Turn LEFT Mommy!

And somehow, miraculously, Mommy was able to find the park once again. We were literally within 10 feet of the park benches and Jack strongly pointed at the park one more time, just in case I decided to make another wrong turn. Where's the trust?