What a Difference a Year Makes

From tears to smiles...

{2011}

...and from one to two.

What a difference a year makes!

Making Predictions

On Sunday, as Jack snuggled up in my spot on our bed to watch a little Batman cartoon, he made the following announcement:

     "He's going to have a Batman problem...you know, catch some bad guys.  That's what Batman does."

This is what those of us who teach reading like to call making predictions using your prior knowledge.  A+ for you, Baby Jack:)  Mama's proud!

Just Jack

It's been too long since my last Just Jack post, and as usual, our sweet Baby Jack has been talking up a storm.  We've noticed lately that he seems much more expressive - his sentences are streaming together, with lots of details and sometimes, lots of sassiness.  I wonder where he gets that from?  Here's just a sample of what this adorable 3 1/2 year old has been saying:

This morning Jack was telling Daddy and I about how when Hannah gets a little bit older, she will be able to play with him, and he actually said, "Yeah, when Hannah gets big like me, we will play all day long."  It was so stinkin' cute, and Daddy and I just looked at each other and reveled in his adorableness.

*****

Perhaps you remember our Smurf story.  Well, a couple of weeks ago when we set up the Christmas tree, we had to move the toy corner in our family room from one corner to the other.  The poor Smurfs did not make the move without falling off of the shelf, but I promise you, I tried.  When I set everything up, I attempted to put the Smurfs in "the right order," but clearly I failed because Jack deemed me "the wrong order guyer."  Yep, that's me.

*****

One chilly Saturday, Jack announced that he wanted to go outside to play.  When I told him that it was too cold and that we were going to stay in, he responded with a taste of my own medicine.

     "We can go outside or we can stay inside.  Hmm...you didn't make a choice, so I made the choice for you.  We're going outside."  And then he walked off, shrugging his shoulders, making a sad face, and saying, "Sorry."

*****

One of my favorite things is when Jack wakes up and comes to snuggle with me in our bed.  Occasionally he wakes up sad or he can't find the toy he took to bed the night before, and he comes in crying and whining - not a great way to wake up, I assure you.  The other night, Jack took a tiny Spiderman guy with him to bed.  The following morning I was already in the shower when he woke up, but he came into the bathroom with a big smile on his face, exclaiming, "Look, Mama!  I took my time!  I looked in my bed and I found him all by myself!"  He was so proud of himself...it absolutely made my day.

*****

Tonight as I was feeding Hannah her bedtime bottle and Jack was playing with his sea life creatures in the bathtub across the hall, I heard our little man call out to his Daddy, "But Daddy, what does an octopus eat?"  I smiled at the adorable thought that our little man gravitates towards all things animal - just like his daddy!

We love him so very much!

She's Got Skills!

Tummy bug and all, look what our little miss learned to do yesterday!



And if that wasn't news enough, she also grabbed her foot for the first time - such a busy, little girl:)

Right Now

Sleep tight, my little man.

{And yes, after taking these pictures, I tucked him in properly.  All snuggly with Skinny Bear and covers, too!}

Under the Weather

That's right.  It may seem hard to believe...

...but this adorable, baby girl is feeling under the weather.

She's had a nasty, tummy bug since Friday, poor thing.  And a horrible diaper rash to boot.

Which meant that today, Mama had to leave work to take Miss Hannah to the doctor's office.

And while I should have taken those unexpected nap times to get some things done, instead, I napped, watched Desperate Housewives, snuggled my baby girl, and took some beautiful photos thanks to the natural light streaming into our guest bedroom this afternoon.

And while I feel awful that Hannah Bear is sick and wish I could take her place, I relished in those unexpected moments that I got to spend with her today.

Feel better soon, Baby Bear.

3 1/2

Baby Jack, this week you turned 3 1/2 years old.  It seems like just yesterday we brought you home from the hospital.

This has been a very busy year for since you were first preparing to be, and then became, a big brother. It is a responsibility you take very seriously.  You love when Hannah smiles at you, especially when you're snuggling her in her crib.  You also love it when she wears your hand-me-downs and sleeps with Baby Skinny.

You still weigh approximately 30 pounds (you have for about a year and half).  You're wearing a size 3T, but your pants either have to be folded over at the top or we use the adjustable waistbands so that they don't fall down.  As far as your shirts go, you can still wear 2Ts and the 3Ts fit you just fine as well.

You love all things superhero - especially Spectacular Spiderman.  As soon as we get home from anywhere, you immediately strip down and "become" either Spiderman or Batman (aka you put on either Spiderman or Batman pajamas with superhero underpants).

You still don't like to eat vegetables of any kind, but you do love fruit.  Just tonight, you discovered that you do, in fact, love green apples.

Your favorite things to eat are buttered noodles, chicken nuggets, macaroni and cheese, grilled cheese, spaghetti and meatballs (without the sauce), and pizza.

You love to dance - your favorite dance move is to put your hands on your hips and to bounce up and down.  It's very cute, and you don't want anyone else to steal your moves.

You love to learn about animals, just like your daddy.  You know all sorts of fun facts, including what eats great white sharks (orcas), what hammerhead sharks like to eat (sting ray), which penguins keep watch over the egg (the papa penguins), and how the aye-aye finds its food (by sticking its really long, scary finger into holes in trees).  

You love to play with animal toys, Spiderman and Batman guys, and your Toy Story friends.

You still love to watch cartoons and movies.  Some of your favorites include Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, The Little Mermaid, Team Umizoomi, Super Why, and Toy Story.

You love to snuggle with Mama when you wake up in the morning.  Before you go to bed at night, you love to snuggle with Papa Bear.

You make us laugh every single day.  Your personality shines through with everything that you do, and we love that we get to be your mommy and daddy.  You are our wonderful baby boy, and we can't imagine our lives without you.  We love you, Little Man!