Memorial Day Weekend

We were lucky enough to have a spur-of-the-moment visit from our good friends Abby, Jesse, and their daughter Molly, whose birthday is August 1 ... just a week after Jack! The two babies had fun playing together - well, at least NEAR each other. The weather was beautiful and we took the kids out for a stroll. We also set up Jack's new water table for them to play. It was a much bigger hit with Molly than it was with Jack!!



After the Birbach family headed back to DC, we had a little family bonding time outside. Let's just say that Jack is DEFINITELY a boy. It was so funny to see super-girly, beautiful, dainty miss Molly next to rough-and-tumble dirty and messy Jack!! Here, you can see him "helping" Dad with the mulching of our front bed... HA HA HA.

Jack's new favorite thing to do is to stick out his tongue...always! He looks just like Justin when he's trying to concentrate on something. Don't know quite where this came from, but it's pretty funny!

We got home Friday afternoon to find this giant turtle in our neighbor's yard. He was about two feet long and about a foot across ... with a tail like an alligator!! The whole neighborhood stopped to gawk at this guy. Jack really wanted to pet him but we didn't think that was the best idea, especially because when the turtle decided to run away from all the attention...he was FAST!!!!!

Finally - here is a video of Jack playing in / eating the dirt. He had a blast - it took awhile to clean him up!

Until next time...

Jack's Ear Checkup

...Drumroll please...

Everything is perfect! His tubes look great, his eardrums have healed properly around them, and most importantly, he passed his hearing test with flying colors! The difference in his responses from a month ago to now was really amazing. Dr. Kenealy was thrilled with the results and we don't have to go back for another 4 months.

As a side note, one of the most frustrating things about tubes is dealing with the earplugs / limiting his exposure to water. We had a conversation with the doctor about it today (as Jack's earplugs always seem to fall out right as we are rinsing his hair in the bath. Sigh.) They gave us a neoprene headband of sorts to go over the earplugs and keep them in. This will be fine for bathing, but what about the question of swimming? He has to wear that thing all summer while splashing in the pool??? We are still debating about this.

There are lots of resources out there that say poolwater will not harm him (see this article: http://www.drgreene.com/qa/swimming-ear-tubes and this article http://www.pedisurg.com/PtEducENT/tubes.htm.) There are other out there that say kids absolutely MUST wear earplugs during any water exposure...and although our doctor doesn't say it's a must, he does recommend the antibiotic ear drops after any accidental water exposure. So... for now we are debating what to do. We may try letting him splash around the pool without them and see if he gets infected. He is going to HATE the neoprene headband...sometimes as a parent you have to pick your battles!

Anyway, we have a clean bill of health and we are ready to enjoy our VERY BUSY summer! :)

Almost Walking!!!

Jack is so close to walking now! He will go around and around our coffee table, and between the table and the couch (although he fell this time, he usually makes it.) He also babbles and talks the whole time. He's growing up so fast! 10 months old tomorrow....and what can he do?

• Sleep through the night!!! Finally! He has consistently been sleeping from 7pm - 6:30am. It has been such a blessing for Mom and Dad! (Mostly Mom.) He's getting really good at consoling himself if he wakes up at night, and going right back to sleep.
• Self-feeding whole foods. Even though he only has two (bottom) teeth, he can eat with the best of them. He feeds himself pancakes and waffles, bananas and apple slices. He eats popsicles and pasta, string cheese and quesadillas. He loves veggies too - broccoli and beans, corn and tomatoes. He's such a great little eater!
• Tell us stories. Whoever picks him up from daycare is in for a treat, because Jack spends the ride home regaling us with tales of his day. He babbles all syllables and yells about the angry parts and smiles and coos about the happy parts. It's awesome!
• Use a big-boy carseat. He recently moved to a forward-facing 5-point harness carseat. Dad and Mom had to each buy one, but it was worth it. He is so much happier looking at us and out of the front of the car!
• Play in the toilet...and in the cabinets and in the shower and in all the other places he isn't supposed to go. Yesterday I walked into the bathroom with him up to his elbows in toilet water splashing away happily. Oops!!! At least it was just cleaned :) We washed him up (and disinfected him!) good ... but it's time for better and more childproofing. EWW! It's true what they say about little boys...they are into everything.

Well...it's bathtime, so off I go. Our little guy is doing so well with his tubes, it's unbelievable. Happy 10 month birthday Jack!!

The Best Car Wash Attendant Ever!!

Annika's Birthday Party

I realized that I hadn't uploaded from our camera in awhile! How sad. We went to Justin's coworker John's daughter's birthday party on a beautiful spring day here in Massachusetts. It was Mickey Mouse-themed and Jack had a blast! Here he is in his ears and cape:

He was really scared of Mickey, even when Dad was holding him. Guess we won't be dropping any dough on Disney World for awhile!

Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease...

So, although Jack is his usual happy self (see above!), he unfortunately has foot, hand, and mouth disease. While it is common, highly contagious, and there is no cure, it is still a pain in the rear as it's just another notch on poor Jack's disease belt. It is going around daycare, and last week we kept him home for a day with a low-grade fever, but he never got really sick and he seemed to recover fine. Today the telltale rash erupted on his bum and his lower back. We are keeping an eye on him as now that he's been exposed, been through the fever part, and is at the end, the only real problem will be irritability and general uncomfortableness. He can go to daycare and go about his day just like normal which is good!

He has his follow up with the ENT surgeon for his ears next week, and his hearing will be checked then too. Hopefully (and we are confident that he will!) he will pass with flying colors this time.

We got his first set of official school pictures and they are adorable! I will mail out packs to the grandparents soon. Don't worry, I bought more than enough copies for everyone!

Other than that, things are gearing up for a busy summer here around the Crosby house. Daddy has been enjoying his new lawnmower, and Mommy has been busy helping her office move from Framingham to Southborough! I am thrilled because it will be a much shorter commute (even shorter than Justin's!), and, as an added bonus, I am finally getting my very own office - and it has reservoir views to boot!

We are looking forward to seeing all of our friends and family throughout the course of the summer. Hopefuly we can keep Jack well for just a few days at least!

Lots of love...

"Mama"

Jack has been babbling "Dada" for quite awhile now, so I was shocked to hear him say "Mama" a few days ago! (And Vonny can prove it! I was on the phone with her!) I will try to get it on tape. But he definitely knows who we are now ... and repeats us on occasion. He loves to point at things, so we tell him what he is pointing at all the time. ("Elmo!" "Belly Button!" "Flower!") He will on occasion try to repeat it...even his name (he is "Yak!") It is really cute.

He also walks around holding onto things now - his favorite thing is to make loops around our coffee table. His little feet still point outwards and he keeps his toes all scrunched up, but I think he will be walking very soon. The only thing is - he HATES shoes with a passion. We kept trying to fight that battle, but eventually gave up. If he wants to learn to walk barefooted, so be it.

Lots more to come soon! Love all of you.

Happy Mother's Day!

We had a great Mother's Day - it started off with a wonderfully nice card from my boys (see left!) It says: "You are the best mother a husband could ask for, and Jack will come to appreciate all you do for he and I one day. All our love, Justin & Jack* *Cut me some slack. I am not even one yet." We spent the morning at the Wrentham Outlets and then we had a great lunch out with beer for Dad and wine for Mom.

After that, we headed to BJ's to get Jack's new big boy carseat! He is over the size limit for his infant seat, so it's time to move up to the toddler one. Justin snapped this picture this morning on the way to school (sorry for the blurry image!) He loves facing forward - and looking at everything Mom and Dad see!

I am so grateful for both of my boys. They made me feel very special on this first holiday for me. :)

9 Month Checkup

Jack is 9 months old! Today he went to see Dr. Hunt for his checkup. Here are his stats:

• Weight: 20 lb, 8 oz
• Height: 28 inches

He is doing everything he is supposed to at this age, and more! He is crawling and standing, and is getting good at letting go of things he's holding onto to stand on his own. The doctor said he was in perfect health! He didn't even have shots - only a finger prick for an iron test.

The only hiccup (pun intended) of this checkup was that he was put on baby acid reflux medicine. He was coughing a lot at night, right after he ate and went to bed. The doctor thinks this is acid reflux, and the medicine will help. I hope so!

Mommy's Migraines ...

As a side note to everything going on with Jack lately, I have been lucky enough to be fighting migraines - worse than I have experienced in years, even during all the hormonal fluctuations of pregnancy - every weekend. Most Saturday and Sunday mornings I wake up in horrible pain. It takes an Imitrex, some coffee, and a long quiet shower or bath for me to even start moving. It's been making me sad, because some of the best times with Jack are laying around watching TV together in bed in the mornings when we don't have anywhere to go.

Determined to prevent this starting today, I started doing some internet research on "weekend migraines." It seems that they really aren't all in my head (pun intended.) Many others experience the same thing. (http://ezinearticles.com/?Weekend-Migraines&id=2780830) However, I am at a bit of a loss because I keep pretty much the same rountine on the weekends (wake up at the same time, have the same amount of caffeine, go to bed around the same time, eat the same foods.) The only other thing that makes sense is the stress letdown of being away from work.

I don't know how to deal with this new part of my life. I have always fought migraines, but I could usually control them, and I knew what my triggers were. This is a new thing, and it's affecting me more than I let on (because who has time to be sick and in bed when there is a very cute 9-month-old running around, clamoring for your attention?) I am going to talk to my doctor about it...but until then, I hope I get some relief, at least for my very first Mother's Day! I am open to any ideas or suggestions if you have them!

Love - Kelly

Our Summer Day (in May ... what a miracle!)

We were blessed with a wonderfully long heat wave this weekend! I think it hit 90 degrees out here in the 'burbs, and we were thrilled. We spent Saturday babysitting Raegan for Sam and Tony. We did lots of fun things with the recently-turned-two-years-old biiiig girl! We all spent time out on the playground at their house, then we had a pizza lunch followed by long naps (for the kiddies at least.) And then we went for a bike ride and followed that with a trip to the ice cream stand! (I think we effectively spoiled Raegan past the point of acceptability!) My good friend Sam, who is 30 weeks pregnant with Raegan's baby brother, is in the hospital on bedrest. We love her and we hope that everything continues to be OK with her and the baby! Our thoughts are with all of them.

Sunday, we began our day with a trip to Babies R' Us and then Barnes and Noble, where Justin got me an AWESOME anniversary present (early!) He got me the Nook (see here.) It's really cool and I can't wait until Jack goes to bed, so that I can buy my first book!

Anyway, after that we went to Chipoltle for lunch where Jack was a huge pig. (As usual.) He came home and had a two hour nap, and we set up his baby pool that we bought. By the time he woke up, it was (almost) warm enough for swimming. Jack and I went to test the waters....

Checking it out...

Wait, this grass is more interesting...hold on a minute!

PHEW! I'm in!! This is fun!

Lovin' the water, just like his Mommy :)

Going after a ball.

Mom, this is AWESOME!!!

Here is a quick video of him enjoying the water. He really did love it - he didn't even fight me on the earplugs, which is usually a battle.

In other news, we think that the surgery has drastically improved Jack's hearing. Not only does he like to dance now (yes, really!) but he babbles constantly. We go back on May 19 for his checkup, and to have his hearing re-tested. I think the results will astound us all!

He also has his first official set of school pictures on May 5 (I already signed us up for the full package!) and his 9-month well-baby visit with his pediatrician (and his shots!) the same day. Lots of things are coming up...we are looking forward to a great summer with our baby boy (who doesn't really seem like a baby anymore.)