Jack's First Halloween!

While we didn’t actually go trick-or treating this year, (I didn't want to be that mother pilfering candy from neighbors who know perfectly well the baby isn't going to eat it!) Jack still spent two days in his costume! For his first Halloween, we decided to dress him up as SuperMan since he’s got that dark hair and big blue eyes!

Saturday we decided to take some pics of him in his costume which resulted in his falling off the step and scraping up his nose. Nice……

Then, because our options are somewhat limited since he’s only 9 months old, Jack and I went with our friends Krystal and Blake to Toys R Us to see the “Halloween Parade”. While the parade sucked, Jack was excited to meet Geoffrey the Giraffe and giggled the entire time we were getting pics taken with him.

Sunday, which was the actual day of Halloween, Jack again got in his costume, intending to surprise mom-mom and pop-pop by opening the door in his costume with his candy bucket but instead WE got the surprise, when they showed up wearing Mickey Mouse costumes!!! **It would probably help to mention here that Jack LOVES Mickey Mouse, hence the costumes** While I stood by laughing uncontrollably, Jack burst into tears and took awhile to warm up to the whole thing. Ultimately, he was a trooper though, and let us take his picture while being held by one of the Mickey’s.

Overall, I’d have to say that Jack’s 1^st Halloween was a success. While he was only mildly enthusiastic about flying,

he was very excited to fight crime on his smurf-mobile (with his cape billowing out behind him).....

Jack's First Baseball Game

Jack attended his first baseball game on Saturday, September 25^th and was such a good boy! Saturday morning we played in the hotel pool for a bit before setting out for YANKEE STADIUM to see his daddy’s favorite team battle the Red Sox. Traffic to the stadium was horrible – an hour trip turned into 2 ½ hours by the time we parked – but Jack was a trooper despite the fact that he was congested. Once we arrived we walked around the stadium for a bit before finding out seats, which were awesome! Unfortunately, the way the Yankees played the game was not. We left at the top of the 9^th inning and I think the final score had the Red Sox winning 7 to 3. Booo……

Aside from the game, Jack spent the time being entertained by the tipsy grandmas behind us who kept saying they wanted to take him home (their daughters later apologized to us). Everyone complimented him on how well he was behaving. There was so much for him to look at that he never got bored!

All in all a fun time was had by all and we got some great pics to remember the day by. Take note Jack, if you still haven’t returned to the stadium by the time you are able to read this, there’s a good reason why: $$ But never fear we will be sure to take you to as many Orioles games as you want….those tickets are much more in our price range!!!

J

York Fair 2010

Several weekends ago we took Jack to the York Fair with mom-mom and pop-pop. We had so much fun watching him take everything in. I love seeing the world through his eyes.

While there, he experienced a couple of “firsts” so I wanted to be sure to document it for future reference. He won his first prize at the duck pond – he really seems to like ducks so the fact that there was a tub full of them ripe for the picking for $2 seemed like a bargain to us. He won the little plush ducky he is hanging onto in this pic. Then, I decided I wanted to try to win him something as well but the only game I am even mediocre at is the one where you throw the darts at the balloons and if you pop them you win a prize. I got three chances, and of the 3, I managed to hit one. I was pretty pleased with myself that it wasn’t a total wash until I turned around and saw that the popping balloon had made Jack cry. Go figure.

Next, we went to check out the horses. Jack is still too little to actually “ride” a horse but we did take this picture of him where you can kind of make out the horses in the background. That was the best we could do without having to pay $5 for a picture on a pony. When did the fair get so expensive?

After the horses, we went to check out the roosters, ducks, bunnies and baby chicks. The roosters made Jack cry when they did their rooster calls so we quickly moved onto the bunnies. I was definitely more excited about the bunnies than Jack was. He wasn’t really impressed. I was surprised to see him perk up as we walked by the cages with the ducks. He started kicking his arms and feet with excitement when he got to watch a duck ruffle its feathers and do duck things (I am NOT a fan of any type of billed or beaked creature)…..Then on our way out of this area we saw the baby chicks. He wasn’t sure about them at first but then seemed to get really excited as he watched them moving around. It was fun to watch!

Then we got on the carousel. This was interesting and it took him a bit to figure out if he liked it or not but in the end he seemed to have decided it was fun.

We closed the day with watching the pig races. By the time they actually raced he had passed out but I thought it was funny to see!

Overall, I think a good time was had by all and I look forward to sharing these memories with Jack as he gets older.

OBX 2010 and Hurricane Earl

I’ve decided that Jack is destined to do something great in this life of his. Why, you ask? Because with his arrival he brought huge snowstorms, one of the hottest summers on record and a hurricane to the Outer Banks while we were on vacation there. I just hope that he chooses to use his powers for good instead of evil…….

But I digress…… this post is supposed to be about Jack’s first vacation! The few days that we did have in the Outer Banks were a lot of fun. We took him to the beach, which he loved – for about 45 minutes. Then he got tired and got sand in his eyes and hair and passed out for about half an hour. After he awoke from his nap, we packed up from the beach and went to the pool instead which was a lot cleaner for all of us.

There were 2 pools where we were staying – a big boy pool and a baby pool. We started Jack out in the baby pool in his raft. The baby pool had a fountain in the middle of it which he LOVED. This child has no fear. He was able to touch the bottom of the baby pool in his raft and kept running in and out of the fountain and laughing hysterically even as he got so much water in his face he couldn’t see. After about 20 minutes of this we realized that he was scraping up his feet on the rough bottom of the pool so we opted to go to the big boy pool where Mike and I pulled him around. Yes, once again, we are the parents of the year (his pinky toe still has a boo boo that is healing).

Another day we went to the four wheel drive beach to see some of Jack’s cousins that happened to be down there the same time we were. This was the day before the hurricane hit so the water was rough but really warm and the weather was perfect! He really enjoyed getting his toes dipped in the water and feeling the wind in his hair. The drive up and down the beach was pretty rough though and I had to sit in the back and hold his head so he didn’t get whiplash while we were navigating the beach terrain and trying not to get stuck in the sand. Did I mention he actually fell asleep while all of this was going on? I, on the other hand, just got carsick in the back....

Then, just like that, our trip was over. We woke up early on Thursday morning and were told to evacuate and we headed back to Maryland. While the storm ended up not being nearly as strong as predicted, it was better to be safe than sorry. We spent the rest of vaca getting stuff done around the house and just spending some precious time with our little man.

Someone once said that “the days are long but the years are short” and I couldn’tagree more. I am soaking up as much of this fleeting baby time as possible in the hopes that I will be able to relive these precious moments for many years to come.

No Gum in the Pool!!!

As I mentioned in my previous post, Jack is currently enrolled in swimming lessons. While he is a stellar student, his dad – not so much. First Mike got yelled at for trying to take Jack in the big pool prior to class time – apparently the instructor needs the whole pool to herself and the lifeguards for those 5 minutes before class. Then, he was reprimanded for chewing gum in the pool. According to the instructor, she was concerned about his chances of choking on it during class and of her consequently needing to perform the Heimlich on him. Did I mention that we are in an introduction to water class for babies, in 4 feet of water??? And this was just the first day of class……..
Since then things have gotten better for Mike and Jack is just enjoying playing in the water. He has been a good sport about being dunked several times and also floated around on a noodle for a good portion of the class yesterday. He laughs at the songs we sing and likes to play with the water toys. He is not a fan of “floating” on his back but gets over his discomfort quickly as soon as we can distract him. In general he is just a happy little boy.
Our last class is this evening and going forward our goal is to take him to an indoor pool once a week to play so he doesn’t forget all of his “skills”. There are fall classes offered, but really, what more is he going to learn to do at 9 months???? We think the tips we have picked up from this class are enough to get us through until next summer.
See below for some of the pics from class so you can see him “in action”.

Warming up for class in the baby pool

Playing with some toys

Floating with dad

Practicing kicking with the baby kickboard
(Really - does it get any cuter than that?)

And we're finished!!

A Night of Firsts....

I can’t believe we are already in August! I remember when I signed Jack up for his August swimming lessons back in February that it seemed like an eternity away and now here we are!
Monday night, August 2nd Jack had his first “swimming” lesson. I use this term loosely because, let’s face it - he’s not really going to be swimming by the end of the two week class. But, he seems to be enjoying it and I really like the idea of introducing him to the water while he is young in the hopes that he doesn’t develop a fear of it.

Then, I had the bright idea of scheduling his first haircut on the same night as his first swimming lesson. Not necessarily a problem for him but more so for his parents. While he was a VERY good boy and sat patiently while the nice lady with the turquoise fingernails cut his hair (see pics below), I was a wreck. Several days later I am still having issues with it. I just didn’t expect to have to go through this milestone so soon. My baby isn’t just a baby anymore he’s a baby BOY! Yes, I know you may be thinking – isn’t that the point? Knowing he’s a boy? But it’s just not the same. He’s growing so fast – I can’t believe it!

Just because you are a parent doesn’t mean you get a free pass…..

Since I’ve become a parent I’ve really started thinking about how the behaviors of parents may affect their kids. It’s interesting to me to take a look back on my experiences and view them from both a kid and a parent perspective. As a former kid, and a new parent, I wanted to write some thoughts down before I completely lose sight of what being a kid feels like…..

1. There is a limit to how much of a jerk you can be to your kids – eventually they will stop respecting you.


2. Above all else, always make sure that your kids know how much you love them and that you will always be there for them. Even if they disagree with your decisions that may affect them, at least they will feel secure in the fact that they were made with their best interest at heart.


3. Along with the above item – always tell your kids you love them and hug them as much as you can. You never know when it will be the last time you are able to do this.


4. Always support your kids when they are trying to better themselves. Even if their decisions hurt (like moving 3,000 miles away), they will be grateful that they had you behind them.


5. Parents – never let resentment towards each other get in the way of being present for important events in your kids’ lives.


6. TALK TO YOUR KIDS. I’m not suggesting taking the “friend” role here but being open and honest and letting your kids know they can come to you with anything is important.


7. R-E-S-P-E-C-T. No matter how upset you get with your kids – they deserve to be treated with respect. Think about your actions before you actually act. Kids remember A LOT.


8. Remember that just because you are their parent, it doesn’t give you a free pass to act however you please and expect that they will still want you in their lives. They have limits.


9. Always say you’re sorry.


10. Be a champion for your kids. Fight for them and their well-being. If someone isn’t treating them right, step in and help. If they are headed down a destructive path, try to steer them in another direction.


11. Spend time with them. Just BE with them. Being on my own a lot of the time with Jack, the preparations for the next day are just endless and I just want to get them done as quickly as possible. However, now that Jack is more mobile, he is not content sitting around while I do that. He forces me to spend time and play with him. And for that I am grateful.

This is obviously not a comprehensive list and I know that you can’t be perfect all of the time and there will inevitably be things that I will do that Jack will remember or feel bad about in the years to come. However, I am confident that as long as he knows how much his father and I love him and that he can talk to us about his feelings we will have a successful relationship. Luckily, I have at least one parent who was a positive role model and for that I am thankful!

New Adventures

Jack has been having all kinds of new adventures lately. He took his first road trip to Boston and did GREAT! Ten hour car ride up and eight hours back and he handled it like a champ (I wish the same could be said for me).

We went to see good friends Nik & Jillian and had a blast.

We sat on the duck statues from Make Way for Ducklings.... - I think Mike & I were a bit more excited about this than Jack;

Got caught in a rainstorm -

Visited the JFK Memorial library -


and had a nice meal on the water. It was a quick trip but we had a lot of fun.


Next weekend is a trip up to Philadelphia to see family and play in the pool for a Saturday afternoon and have a nice Father's Day lunch in Baltimore on Sunday.

The week after is another road trip - this time it will be 8 hours in the other direction - to North Carolina to see Mike's family and attend a wedding. Busy, busy!!!

Big boy stuff

It was a big weekend at the Post household.

Jack sat in his walker for the first time which is amusing to watch b/c now he and Zoey are face to face and neither one really knows what to make of the other (as evidenced below). I imagine it won't be long though until they are both plotting against us to create trouble.

Jack is also officially a member of the solid foods club (although I use this term loosely). He is now eating rice cereal along with his bottles 3x/day. It is hilarious to watch him trying to eat off the spoon! I doubt Mike & I would get parent of the year awards as we were daring each other to try the rice cereal to see what it tasted like during the first feeding - neither one of us did it if anyone is curious. But Jack seems to think it tastes alright. Of course he also thinks basically anything he can put it in his mouth tastes alright at this point. Next week it's time to start green veggies - yum. I'm thinking of just tarping the entire kitchen area until he's about 6 years old.... Do they make plastic bibs for the grownups that are feeding the children as well?

We also have a big weekend coming up as it will be mommy & daddy's first weekend away from the little man. Mom-mom and pop-pop have agreed to watch him for an entire weekend while we attend a wedding in upstate New York. It should be interesting for all parties involved. While I'm sure it will not be the easiest weekend and I know Jack will have his moments, when it comes right down to it, no matter what he does you know you can't stay mad at a face like this: