The Big 2!

Today was Jackelope's Big day- his second birthday. We had a fun celebration after everyone got home when Jack got to go in the hot tub for the first time- toned down to a comfy 96 degrees. Here he is on his way out with Daddy to the tub...

But then he eased in and really enjoyed it and loved sticking his arms in the cold pool, as cousin Grayson calls it.

We had a small lemon cake after dinner- ever heard of a child who doesn't want his birthday cake? Well, here he is.

We tried...

and we tried...

and we tried. But he would have none of it. Oh well. He still had a great day and, I swear, he grew overnight. But he (and Daddy) were tuckered by day's end and have fallen asleep in the rocker in his room as I type this. Sweet dreams, my jackelope.

Judy, this picture is for you to see the chandelier.

Blueberry Muffins

Another incident report at daycare...another scratch...again on his left cheek. I've got to talk to the other kids about mixing it up a little.

Jack enjoyed blueberry muffins this weekend...in fact liked them so much that he doublefisted through most of breakfast.

And then smiled and talked to his muffin to make sure he established good rapport with it before scarfing it down.

Jack's birthday is quickly approaching- just 3 more days. And he surprised us this weekend by letting us know he "few down" (fell down) after he completely wiped out on the tile floor as he was running laps around the kitchen and tv room.

Moving: The Gift That Won't Stop Giving

Why is is that packing up to move take such a long time but unpacking takes an ungodly, I'm-going-to-drill-a-hole-in-my-head-if-I-see-one-more-box, amount of time. We just can't seem to get rid of them.


Meanwhile, Jackelope is settling in nicely. He has tried out the arrangement of furniture in the living room and approves.


Here we are on official moving day with Jack doing some exploring. He loved watching everything coming in to the house.











Here are John and Jack assembling the crib. This is about 5 minutes before John discoveres we have lost all the hardware to the crib which will hold up the mattress supports...and the crib is made in Italy...where they don't believe in customer service...and the hardware is made in Europe...where it can't arrive here until the next millenium. Finally we said screw it and just superglued everything together. Just kidding, grandmas. It's safe and secure with lots of bolts and nuts and other hardware-y things.




Oliver, I'm right there with you!

The Nose Knows

I got a call today from daycare.

Daycare teacher: Jack has been bitten on the nose.

Me: The nose? (Horrified that some kid would bite that perky little protiberance and harm my child!)

DT: Yes, the child sitting next to him at lunch.

Me: Why on earth would he ever do that? (Again, horrified, thinking someone should punish this little Hannible Lecter)

DT: Jack had finished his piece of pizza and wanted more so he took his neighbor's pizza.

Me: (Not feeling so horrified) So, he obviously had not gotten enough to eat at lunch?

DT: Actually, he had already eaten 5 pieces of pizza.

Me: (Understanding that my child started it all )Oh....Well is he OK?

DT: He cried a bit but he's OK now. Now he's pointing at the other child (who is in time out) and shouting at him.

Has Jack become a bully?

Settling in to the new house

We're all settling in to the new house. Jack loves the echo factor in the big living room and walks around it saying "Dah" which usually means Daddy but in this case just gets repeated over and over at increasingly loud volumes until he has found the perfect reverberation.

He loves to snuggle in bed with us in the morning, but now goes a wandering once we are in the bathroom getting ready. (In the old house, we would have to keep him in the bedroom lest he head for the stairway). I found him this morning out in the living room stalking Otto, the big cat. Otto had quickly figured out that Jack was unsteady on his feet and had hands that simply wanted to grab and pull his tail, so was keeping just enough ahead of him to stay out of harm;s way.

One of Jack's favorite features of the new house is the fact that while eating his breakfast he can see all the activity in the kitchen. No longer does he have to call from the isolation of the dining room, now that we have a "breakfast nook". A perfect set up for Jackelope.

Did I mention that Jack got hurt twice in one day at day care? Not only did he fall down on the playground and get little scrapes around his eye, but another child in his class scratched him across the cheek when they both wanted the same toy. Here's our little bruiser. 

Movin' on Up

Jackelope and family will be movin on up to a new house in just 3 days. Jack has been fairly oblivious to the preparations up until now, but wait until he wakes tomorrow to find all his favorite drawers and cabinets...EMPTY! Dum, dum, dum....

Jack at new house with
Daddy and pal, Warren

And soon, all his little toys will get packed up and moved over to his larger house where they can be freely scattered because mommy and daddy only have enough furniture to fill about half the house. All the toys will be packed with care...except for Pooh Bear who has become the "plaything" for our large cat Otto (and I'm not talking G-rated plaything, either!) Pooh Bear must stay until the bitter end..I'm so sorry, Pooh Bear.

Jack likes to read books, a few before bedtime and some in the morning while Mom and Dad are getting ready.

Between Hemingway and Dostoyevsky, I like to read a little Goodnight Gorilla to keep my mind in peak form.

 

Jackelope

He's 2 and ready to take on the world.

He just can't decide the fastest way to do it.

Today Jack had a rough day. Fell off the train playset at daycare and got some "owies" on his cheek. But some kisses and a little ice later, he was doing fine.