Jack @ Daycare

Jack has had a great run in the Infant Program at daycare... and as of Monday, he will be officially graduated into the Toddler classroom. This brings bittersweet emotions for Mom & Dad...our little boy is definitely no infant anymore! But at the same time, I know he will be challenged in new ways, and that is good for his intellectual & social development.

On that note, here is a look at Jack's past summer at daycare. I love his teachers and I know that he will miss the Infant ladies very much! I hope he has this much fun in the Toddler Program. :)

Our Bubbly, Babbling, Giggling, Running Big Boy!

He's walking, he's talking, he's an on-the-move fiend! Jack spent the last two days babbling word after word at daycare, and doing every sign he knows. He has done a lot of "happy screaming" and "running and yelling" ... which means he is DEFINITELY feeling better! No more chicken pox for this kid.

It's almost like he has information overload and he just doesn't know how to get out what he wants to say. Poor kid! That must be so frustrating. Although, he really doesn't seem to mind. His favorite word, by far, is "ball." He's also started trying two-word phrases like "blue ball" and "red ball." He also constantly does the sign for milk (hand out, open and closed fist) and we aren't quite sure what that means. Sometimes, if you give him milk, he drinks it down. Other times...he isn't interested. So we are thinking that "milk" is the sign for pretty much anything he wants.

Finally, he shakes his head "no" for everything, even yes. He's been doing the "no" thing for awhile now but he really does it every single time you ask him any question. It's kind of funny...although we really are trying to teach him the head-nod so that he can say "yes" correctly!

At daycare, they've started giving him meals on a real plate with a fork and/or spoon. So, at home, we bought a pack of baby plates (i.e., ones that won't break when he throws them on the floor) and he has done great with them! He gets tired of them at the end and starts to bang them around, but no kid can be perfect, right?? :) We are really proud of him because I feel that proper use of utensils and plates at 13 months old is pretty darn impressive..even if the fork is mostly just for show.

I tried to get a few videos of his babbling, running, crazy self. Here he is!

Jack Chasing the Birds

We spent Saturday hanging out with Rebecca, Sara and Adelyn in Boston. We did the whole tour of the city, from Boston Common to the Public Garden, to Charles Street to Fanueil Hall to the waterfront and back through the Financial District to Park Street. It was a great day for everyone! Jack's favorite thing by far was chasing the birds in the park. He had so much fun -- so much so that the little girl feeding the birds got mad that Jack kept chasing them away!!

He is such a good walker now that I am considering buying a "baby leash backpack" for sitations like this. He's a lot faster than he looks! (And no, I have no qualms about putting my kid on a baby leash.)

It was such a nice trip with Sara and Adelyn, even though Jack's chicken pox did trip us all up a bit. I hope that they all get to be really good friends in the near future! More pictures to come soon.

Chicken Pox...

I think Jack has made it his personal mission to get every single childhood illness over with by the time he's 2. He's doing a fantastic job!

He was vaccinated for chicken pox 14 days ago. It is one of the rare vaccines where they actually inject a (weakened) live virus. Of course, Jack is one of the 0.05% of kids who actually get the illness from the vaccine. Luckily for all of us, he has a mild case - just a low grade fever and a few spots - but still. Poor kid!

The worst part about this is that Sara and Adelyn were coming to visit this weekend! This caused some last-minue scrambling, but I think we have worked everything out and they will still be coming, but staying with Rebecca in Boston for most of the trip. Phew! It's one thing having Jack sick ... but a completely different story making a 5-month-old sick!

I had to pull some strings with daycare and the doctor's office to allow Jack to go back to school on Monday. Everyone feels comfortable with that, though, because it is unclear if it's true, full-blown chicken pox, or just a reaction to the vaccine. Either way, no sunlight for Jack for a few days, and lots of naps and chicken soup. Justin and I have both had it, so hopefully he won't pass this onto me like he did the Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease!!

Sigh. More drama from the Crosby House of Illnesses coming soon...

Testing Boundaries

Oh, the life of a one-year-old. Most of the parenting books and articles say that kids don't start to "test their boundaries" until they are at least 18 months old. Not our baby boy! He is a headstrong, independent little person that gets really angry when you try and tell him what to do. (Notice I say "try.")

Jack certainly knows right from wrong. We see this manifested in certain situations, like in the bathtub. He is allowed to touch the rubber duck that covers the faucet, but he is NOT allowed to touch the faucets or the level that controls the drain. We tell him "no" using baby sign language (by bringing the index and middle finger together to touch the thumb.) He looks at us, smiles, shakes his head no, and then tentatively sticks out his finger to knowingly touch the item that he is not allowed to. Then, when we reprimand him again by saying "no," and removing his finger, he screws up his face and starts screaming.

This also happens as he exhibits his newfound skill of throwing food on the floor. As suggested by daycare, the second he starts throwing his food on the floor from his highchair, he is "all done." (Sign language: shake open palms in front of body several times.) I do the "all done" sign and then tell him "when you throw food on the floor, you are telling Mommy that you are all done. You can have more when you behave." And I immediately take him down from his highchair. He gets really mad and proceeds to throw himself on the floor and scream. I am not a fan of these new assertions of independence - although I know they are necessary, it sure does make eating out a lot harder.

I found this in an article online and I think it's a good guide to follow. Easier said than done...

"When setting boundaries, it’s important to keep in mind the following:


Boundaries should be reasonable, age appropriate, and always consistent. If there is no consistency, there is no boundary. Boundaries need to be thought through, discussed, and enforced jointly by both parents.

Boundaries must be clearly defined and easily understood by the child. All children will test boundaries, it’s a natural part of development. So long as the boundaries stay solid and consistent, the children will eventually and usually quickly stop testing them.


When a child has crossed the boundary line, there must be a reasonable and consistent consequence. A boundary means nothing without a consequence and let’s face it, if this lesson is not taught by the loving guidance of parents, life will teach a child this lesson in a much more severe way.

Consequences should reflect the severity of the inappropriate behavior. If it’s a one time slip-up on a small offense such as interrupting, all that may be needed is a simple verbal reminder…"It's not polite to interrupt." If it’s more serious or habitual, then the consequence must be memorable enough that the behavior won’t be repeated.


It’s important to give some thought as to what your own personal selection of consequences should be for your child. Immediate removal from an activity or play date, the temporary loss of privileges, removing a toy, time outs etc…just teach the important lesson that what they are doing is not OK. Also, consider coming up with different levels of consequences. For example, if this behavior happens it’s an “x” consequence, if the behavior happens again it’s a “y” consequence and so forth.


Be aware that a verbal warning will have no effect unless the inappropriate behavior has had prior consequences firmly established. (Think Pavlov.) For example, if a child has previously been removed from a birthday due to inappropriate behavior and later at another birthday party begins to exhibit inappropriate behavior, chances are that if you tell that child to stop or we’ll leave, they will take you seriously and behave. On the other hand, if the child has never experienced a consequence prior, it’s unlikely that a verbal warning will have any effect.


Of course, the best time to begin the use of boundaries is when children are very small around the time they are just becoming toddlers. These boundaries would be simple and primarily about safety. As the child grows, parents need to acquire new age appropriate boundaries, which should be implemented as the inappropriate behavior occurs. (Keep in mind that what may be an amusing behavior from a two year old, may not at all be amusing in a couple years.)


If a child is older and has never been given boundaries, the task is more difficult and requires more attention, but is not impossible. Although, beginning boundaries with older children will initially require more effort, not setting them is without a doubt the far more difficult path in the long run.


All children yearn to feel safe and know what’s expected of them and giving your child the means to do this will help them have a secure and well-adjusted life. A life which can bring them positive interaction with their parents, friends, teachers, and most importantly themselves."

The Lazy, Hazy Days of Summer

Well, it's August, and that means that the lazy dog days of summer are here. They should be at least, but they sure aren't lazy if Jack has any say! He spends his days busy as a bee at daycare. They have done lots of fun things lately, like planting a garden, painting with fresh flowers, playing outside in the water table, baking treats for everyone's first birthday (they are all so close in age that most of them have recently had or are about to have their first birthday.) Jack has gotten pretty good at coloring with crayons or markers, as evidenced by his artwork here, which is super impressive because he did it wearing shades!

On Tuesday, one of my friends from home that now lives in NYC, Colleen, and her super-cute 5 month old baby, Brian, were in town with her husband for work. We met up with them for lunch...and I have to say, Jack was TERRIBLE. He screamed, threw his food, crawled out of his high chair, and did pretty much every other bad thing you can think of. I was super embarassed, especially because Brian was a little angel!! Jack is usually so good, and this totally took me by surprise. I can only chalk it up to the fact that he was recovering from his illness, and I had messed up his daily routine by taking him out of daycare. Sigh. I suppose the anti-fun side of parenting has begun in our house... and I definitely think that Jack is now officially a toddler.

That afternoon, I picked him up from daycare, and he was obviously trying to win back my affection by being as cute as possible and doing all of his "tricks" in rapid succession (blowing kisses, high fives, shaking his head no, waving bye.) Needless to say, it worked...

Because with a kid this cute, how can you stay mad very long?!?

Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease... Again

On Friday, Justin's parents returned from Maine to spend the weekend with us. This was also the time that poor Jack started to run a fever. He got his shots on Wednesday, so I automatically assumed it was related (and not a reason to worry.) Friday night was pretty miserable for all of us. He was up multiple times screaming, crying, and generally inconsolable. On Saturday we called Dr. Hunt, who saw him for an emergency appointment.

She did a thorough inspection and said that yes, while the fever may have been related to his shots... it was more likely caused by Hand, Foot and Mouth disease. She showed me water blisters on his bum, on the palms of his hands, and the worst - the small, white painful ulcers that lined his mouth and throat. No wonder the poor kid was in so much pain.

This illness went around daycare a few months ago, and Jack got a touch of it, but nothing like what he has now. His left ear was also red and inflamed, indicating the beginnings of an ear infection - his body's way of fighting the virus.

She put him on Zithromax to fight the ear infection (cause we all know how those end up) and gave us some recommendations for making him more comfortable until he heals. He gets 1/2 teaspoon of antacid solution three times a day to coat his throat. He gets flat diet coke. He get ibuprofen every 6 hours for his fever and for pain relief. And, finally, he gets popsicles, milkshakes, and other cold things to help his sore little throat.

He did sleep better last night (it took awhile to get him to go down, but he did sleep until 7:30am.) He is also back on a regular bottle schedule, although he still isn't too interested in food. Hopefully his fever will break today so that he can go back to school tomorrow!

Next weekend, we are looking forward to Mom, Dad, and Nanny coming to visit - and we are so excited and definitely hoping that he is well and normal before then!

Our Summer Break!

It's been a few weeks, so I am late in updating...but things have been crazy since we got home! Here is a random picture montage of our photos from our summer trip to Georgia in mid-July. We had a great time celebrating TWO engagements: Ashley and Colin (wedding date: 12/11/2010!) and Cara and Jack (wedding date: 10/1/2011!) We can't wait two have two new family members and we are so very exciting to have two family weddings in the near future! Maybe Jack will have some neices and / or nephews to play with in the near future (wink wink nudge nudge!) :)

We had a wonderful, relaxing time hanging out with our family. We can't wait to be back down south in December for the first of two very big days!

Jack at Logan International Airport at 4am waiting for our flight. Thankfully our gate was right next to the play center for kids ... and we took full advantage of it! He was wide awake - and we paid for it on the plane flight. He slept for about an hour of the two and a half hour flight - but screamed bloody murder for the last 20 minutes. Ahh, life with a one-year-old....

Relaxing in the hammock...

You can't really see but that's Susu and Jack hanging out at the beach!!

"Mom, leave me alone, I'm trying to rest..."

As always, pointing at something ... in this case, Pop Pop. The hardest part was keeping him from eating handfuls of sand!

Family Time at the Pool!

His boating hat. He loved the boat...

ALMOST as much as Doak!

"Mom, I don't want to actually sit IN the sand. I just want to eat it."

Baby's First Haircut... thanks Mrs. McCrary!

Dada makes me smile!

Mrs. Scruggs painted this awesome watercolor of me! Didn't she do a really great job??

While I had plenty of fun in the water all week, my absolute FAVORITE activity was running up and down the stairs! I think everyone burned off about 2,000 calories chasing me up and down, up and down. Maybe this means I will be some kind of crazy professional athlete in my future...cause I have endless energy for running stairs! :)